LIBRARY 

OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


Class 


NATURE  STUDY 
IN   ELEMENTARY   SCHOOLS 


FIRST  READER 


frontispiece 


NATURE    STUDY 


ELEMENTAEY   SCHOOLS 


FIRST  READER 


BY 

LUCY  LANGDOX  WILLIAMS   WILSON,  PH.D. 

OF  THE  PHILADELPHIA  NORMAL  SCHOOL 

AUTHOR  OF  "NATURE  STUDY  IN  ELEMENTARY  SCHOOLS:  A  MANUAL,"   "NATURE 

STUDY  IN  ELEMENTARY  SCHOOLS:  A  READER,"  "HISTORY  IN 

ELEMENTARY  SCHOOLS:  A  MANUAL,"  AND  "HISTORY 

IN  ELEMENTARY  SCHOOLS:  A  KEADBR" 


gorfc 
THE   MACMILLAN   COMPANY 

LONDON :  MACMILLAN  &  CO.,  LTD. 
1906 

All  rights  reserved 


COPYRIGHT,  1898, 
BY  THE  MACMILLAN   COMPANY. 


Set  up  and  electrotyped  December,  1898.  Reprinted  July. 
November,- 1899  ;  June,  December,  1900;  August,  IQOI;  July, 
October,  1903 ;  June/October,  1904 ;  July,  1905 ;  November,  1906. 


NorfoooU 
J.  8.  Gushing  &  Co.  -  Berwick  it  Smith 
Norwood  Mass.  U.S.A. 


PREFACE 

THE  original  matter  in  this  series  of  Readers  has 
been  written,  and  the  selections  chosen,  with  the 
desire  of  putting  into  the  hands  of  little  children 
literature  which  shall  have  for  their  minds  the  same 
interest  and  value  that  really  good  books  and  maga- 
zines have  for  grown-up  people.  It  is  the  author's 
aim  to  prepare  the  ground  and  even  thus  early  to 
plant  the  seeds  of  that  which  may  later  develop  into 
a  love  for  art,  for  literature,  and  for  nature. 

But  this  most  desirable  result  cannot  be  accom- 
plished by  merely  putting  the  Readers  into  the  hands 
of  the  child,  expecting  him  to  master  the  words  by 
reading  the  sentences,  —  to  get  at  the  thought 
while  he  stumbles  and  hesitates  over  unfamiliar 
words. 

It  is  expected  that  each  of  these  lessons  will  be 
preceded  by  a  nature  lesson. 

For  a  guide  in  this  work,  both  for  facts  and 
method,  I  know  of  nothing  better  than  my  own 
book,  "Nature  Study:  A  Manual  for  Teachers." 
These  Readers  have  been  planned  in  accordance  with 
the  course  of  study  there  outlined. 

Either  during  the  nature  lesson  or  after  it,  the 
new  words  should  be  thoroughly  taught  from  the 

191651 


Vi  PREFACE 

board.      To  aid  the  teacher  a  list  of  such  words  has 
been  placed  at  the  beginning  of  each  lesson. 

Later  in  the  day  let  him  read  the  reading  lesson 
for  the  sake  of  the  thought.  Do  not  take  it  for 
granted  that  no  further  teaching  is  necessary.  But 
remember,  too,  that  it  is  now  the  pupil's  time  to 
talk. 

If  he  does  not  read  well  now,  it  is  because  he 
fails  to  grasp  the  thought.  A  word,  a  question,  will 
often  clear  up  the  obscurity  in  his  mind.  Lead  him 
to  think,  not  to  imitate. 

It  is  a  good  idea  to  have  a  systematic  plan  for 
silent  reading.  Many  of  the  stories  in  this  volume 
will  lend  themselves  easily  to  this  device.  And  on 
this  work  may  be  based  a  subsequent  oral  and  writ- 
ten language  lesson. 

Above  all,  do  not  neglect  to  cultivate  his  taste  — 
his  literary  and  artistic  instincts.      "  What  stanza, 
what  line,  or  what  part  of  this  did  you  like  the  best?" 
"  Why?"  are  questions  always  in  order  and  always 
interesting. 

Two  devices,  well  known  but  comparatively  little 
employed,  are  most  useful  in  developing  a  child's 
literary  and  artistic  nature  ;  viz.  the  learning  of 
poetry,  and  the  listening  to  reading  aloud.  For  this 
purpose  the  lists  of  literature  in  the  Manual  will  be 
found  vary  useful. 

L.  L.  W.  WILSON. 

PHILADELPHIA  NORMAL  SCHOOL, 
September,  1898.  . 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Preface v 

SEPTEMBER 

The  Clouds 3 

The  Rain 5 

The  Wind 6 

"In  Autumn."     Frank  Dempster  Sherman1       .        .        .        7 

The  Thistle 8 

September's  Flowers 12 

Golden  Rod. 

Aster. 
Other  Cousins  of  the  Golden  Rod 13 

Sunflower. 

Chicory. 

Black-eyed  Susan. 
Some  of  the  Golden  Rod's  Friends 15 

Garden  Nasturtium. 

Wild  Carrot. 

Jamestown  Weed. 

The  Bees 17 

To  a  Honey  Bee.     Alice  Cary1 18 

The  Caterpillar 19 

The  Grasshopper  Family 20 

Grasshopper. 

Katydid. 

The  Concert 21 

September.     Helen  Hunt  Jackson 2 23 

1  By  permission  of  Messrs.  Houghton,  Mifflin  &  Co. 
1  By  permission  of  Messrs.  Little,  Brown  &  Co. 

vii 


Vlll  CONTENTS 

OCTOBER 

PAGE 

A  Bit  of  Advice.     Youth's  Companion1       ....  27 

An  Oak  Gall 27 

Shepherd  Wind 28 

The  Milkweed 30 

The  Chestnut  Burr      .        . 32 

The  Wind  and  the  Sun.     Youth's  Companion l  .        .        .34 

The  Sun 35 

The  Sun  Again 36 

Good  Morning,  Merry  Sunshine.     Emilie  Poulsson2.         .  37 
Sunshine  Stories.     Adapted  from  Andersen      .         .         .38 

The  Falling  Leaves 44 

Hallowe'en  .        .        .        .        .        .        .        .        .        .46 

October's  Party.     Song  Stories  for  Little  Folks    ...  47 

NOVEMBER 

November.     Sir  Walter  Scott 49 

The  English  Sparrow  . 51 

The  Sparrow  Again 53 

The  Sparrow's  Nest.     Mary  Howitt 54 

Fly  Away,  Butterfly.     Youth's  Companion1         ...  55 

Which  Way  does  the  Wind  blow  ?    Mary  Lamb       .        .  56 

The  Eskimos 57 

Autumn        .         .         . 59 

The  Silk  Worm.     Mary  Howitt 61 

The  Hyacinth 62 

The  Potato 64 

The  Bear 65 

The  Rising  Moon.     From  Lilliput  Levee  8  .        .        .        ,06 

The  Moon .  68 

Why  we  have  Thanksgiving       .....  69 

The  First  Thanksgiving 71 

Another  Thanksgiving 72 

Corn 74 

1  By  permission  of  The  Youth's  Companion. 
*  By  permission  of  Miss  Emilie  Poulsson. 
8  By  permission  of  Messrs.  Eoutledge  &  Co. 


CONTENTS  ix 
DECEMBER 

PAGE 

December.     Mary  Howitt 77 

Three  Little  Goldfish 79 

The  Goldfish 81 

Tadpole 32 

Mussel 83 

Snail 83 

Spruce  Tree 84 

Other  Evergreens         .'......  86 

The  Fir  Tree.     Adapted  from  Andersen    ....  88 

Daisies.     Frank  Dempster  Sherman1 92 

The  Stars 93 

Northwest  Wind .        .         . 95 

Jack  Frost 96 

Tiny  Little  Snowflakes.     Lucy  Larcom 1     .        .        .         .97 

Snowflakes 98 

Jack  Frost  Again 99 

Clothes .  101 

JANUARY 

January.     Youth's  Companion2 103 

The  Little  New  Year.     Youth's  Companion  2  105 

Lindu,  the  Keeper  of  the  Birds 106 

The  Milky  Way.     A  Russian  Legend         .         .         .         .108 

White  Lambkins.     From  the  Kindergarten  Chimes 3  .         .  109 

Woodpecker 110 

The  Crow's  Children.     Adapted  from  Phoebe  Gary    .        .111 

The  Crow .  113 

Caw !    Caw !    Caw  !     Olive  A.  Wadsworth l  .114 

The  Cat 115 

A  Kitten  Rhyme.     Emilie  Poulsson  4 116 

The  Horse 118 

1  By  permission  of  Messrs.  Houghton,  Mifflin  &  Co. 
8  By  permission  of  The  Youth's  Companion. 
8  By  permission  of  Messrs.  The  Oliver  Ditson  Company. 
*  By  permission  of  Miss  Emilie  Poulsson. 


X  CONTENTS 

PAOB 

The  Cow 119 

The  Cow  Again  .         .         .         .      • 120 

The  January  Thaw.     Adapted  from  Mrs.  Gatty        .        .  121 

Five  Peas  in  a  Pod.     Adapted  from  Andersen   .        .        .  124 

FEBRUARY 

February 129 

The  North  Wind.     Old  Song      .         ...        .        .        .131 

Abraham  Lincoln        .         .        .        .        .        .        .         .132 

George  Washington     .        .        .        .        .        .        .        .134 

Our  Winter  Visitors  : 

Chickadee  and  Winter  Wren 136 

Fairy  Heat 138 

The  Story  of  a  Grain  of  Wheat.     Adapted         .  '      .        .139 
Story  of  Some  Water  Drops 150 

MARCH 

March.     Frank  Dempster  Sherman l 155 

The  Crow  Blackbird 157 

Bluebirds  and  Robins.     An  Indian  Legend        .        .         .  158 

Little  Bird  Blue     Youth's  Companion 2  160 

Another  Story  about  Robin  Redbreast.    An  Indian  Legend  162 

Bird  Travellers 163 

The  Earthworm 165 

The  Earthworm  Again 166 

The  Pebble 168 

A  Seashore  Story 169 

The  Wrind  and  the  Sun.    Adapted  from  ^Esop  .        .        .  170 

Spring  Buds 172 

The  Horse-chestnut  Branch 173 

Pussy  Willow       .        .        . 175 

From  "  Over  in  the  Meadow."     Olive  Wadsworth l   .        .177 

1  By  permission  of  Messrs.  Houghton,  Mifflin  &  Co. 
»  By  permission  of  The  Youth' c  Companion. 


CONTENTS  xi 

PAGE 

The  Dance  of  the  Maple  Keys 178 

Story  of  the  Maple  Keys 179 

The  Maple  Fruits  Again 181 

APRIL 

April 185 

The  Birch  Tree.     From  Hiawatha 187 

The  Birch     . 188 

Fern  Song.     JohnB.  Tabb1 190 

The  Poplars 191 

The  Walnut  Tree  that  wanted  to  bear  Tulips    .        .        .193 

The  Elm 195 

Who  ami? 197 

Horse-chestnut. 

Linden. 

Oak. 

To  Violets.     Robert  Herrick 199 

Narcissus      ..........  200 

Little  Anemone.     H.  S.  Pike2 202 

Spring  Flowers 203 

Hepatica. 

Spring  Beauty. 

Bloodroot. 

Dogtooth  Violet. 

A  Lesson  of  Faith.     Adapted  from  Mrs.  Gatty  .        .        .  205 
Little  White  Lily.     George  MacDonald 3   .        .        .        .209 

Arbor  Day 211 

MAY 

May.     From  the  German 213 

May.     Songs  and  Games  for  Little  Ones*     ....     215 

1  By  permission  of  Messrs.  Copeland  &  Day. 

*  By  permission  of  Messrs.  The  Educational  Publishing  Co.,  Boston. 

3  By  permission  of  Messrs.  Ginn  &  Company. 

4  By  permission  of  Messrs.  The  Oliver  Ditson  Company. 


Xll  CONTENTS 

PAGB 

The  Swallow        .        .        .     • 217 

The  Conceited  Apple  Branch.     Adapted  from  Andersen  .  219 

The  Dandelion.     John  B.  Tabb1 222 

A  Story  of  the  Dandelion 222 

The  Dandelion 224 

Another  Story  of  the  Dandelion .    Adapted  from  Hiawatha  228 
The  Tax-Gatherer.    John  B.  Tabb  l  .        .     .   .        .        .230 

Story  of  the  Apple  Blossom        .         .         .         .         .         .231 

Two  Common  Weeds 235 

Shepherd's  Purse. 

Sheep's  Sorrel. 

The  Dogwood 237 

Jack-in-the-Pulpit.     Clara  Smith 2 238 

Buttercups 239 

The  Lilac.     Clara  Doty  Bates3 240 

America.     Samuel  F.  Smith        ......  241 

Decoration  Day .  242 

JUNE 

June.     Lowell 245 

The  Jumpers.     Adapted  from  Andersen     ....  247 

The  Donkey  and  the  Grasshopper.    Adapted  from  ^Esop  .  249 
The  Bluebell.     From  Little  Flower  Folks    .        .        .         .250 

For  Flag  Day       .        . 252 

1  By  permission  of  Messrs.  Copeland  &  Day. 

2  By  permission  of  Messrs.  Houghton,  Mifflin  &  Co. 

3  By  permission  of  Mr.  Morgan  Bates. 


SEPTEMBER 


THE  CLOUDS 
clouds       moving       voice       shepherd 

I  like  to  look  up  into  the  sky. 
It  is  so  blue  and  far  away. 
Even  the  soft  white  clouds  are  far  away. 
See  !     They  are  moving  across  the  sky. 
They  look  like  white,  white  sheep. 
Listen !     Do  you  hear  the  voice  of  the  shep- 
herd boy? 

oo  —  oo  —  oo  —  oo  ! 

m  —  m  —  m  —  m! 

Look  !  the  clouds  are  moving  faster. 
Shepherd  Wind  is  driving  them  home. 
Good-by,  dear  clouds,  good-by. 


White  sheep,  white  sheep, 
On  a  blue  hill, 
Do  you  eat  forget-me-nots 
When  you  stand  so  still  ? 

3 


4  SEPTEMBER 

driven       perHaps      sometimes      field     army 

Where  are  all  the  pretty  sheep  to-day  ? 
Shepherd  Wind  must  have  driven  them  away. 
The  sky  is  as  blue  as  forget-me-nots. 
I  wish  that  I  were  a  kite. 
Perhaps  Shepherd  Wind  would  carry  me  up 
into  the  sky. 


Sometimes  the  sky  is  dark  gray. 
Then  we  cannot  see  the  sun. 
The  dark  rain  clouds  hide  him  from  us. 
Then  rain  begins  to  fall. 


See,  it  walks  across  the  fields. 
It  moves  like  a  great  army. 


THE   RAIN  6 

THE  RAIN 
lifted     need     rubber     umbrella     scampered 

Who  likes  the  rain  ? 

"I,"  said  the  grass. 

"I,"  said  all  the  little  flowers. 

"  I,"  said  the  brook. 

And  "  I,"  said  a  little  boy. 

Then  the  rain  began  to  fall. 

The  flowers  lifted  up  their  pretty  heads. 

"  Thank  you/'  they  said  to  the  kind  rain, 

The  brook  was  glad  too. 

"  I  need  every  drop,"  he  said. 

"  For  I  want  to  be  a  great  big  river." 

The  little  boy  said  :  — 

"  The  rain  does  so  much  good. 

"  And  it  does  not  hurt  me. 

"  For  I  have  rubber  boots. 

"  I  have  a  rain  coat,  and  an  umbrella. 

"  And  this  is  what  I  call  fun-." 

And  off  he  scampered  to  school. 


SEPTEMBER 


THE    WIND 

shakes  rattles  autumn 
somewhere 

Shepherd  Wind  has  great 
fun  these  days. 

He  blows  the  seeds 

away. 

He  makes  the  leaves 
fall. 

He  shakes  the  ap- 
ples from  the  trees. 
He    takes    the    hats 
right  off  the  heads  of 
little  children. 

He   turns   umbrellas 
inside  out. 

He    blows      dust 
into  our  eyes. 

He  rattles  the 
'  windows  and  doors. 
At  night  he  is  tired. 
He  stops  his  play. 

I    wonder   where   he 
sleeps. 

w       #        # 


THE   WIND 


"  In  Autumn, 

When  the  wind  is  up, 
I  know  the  acorn's 
Out  his  cup, 


For  'tis  the  wind 
Who  takes  it  out, 

And  plants  an  oak 
Somewhere  about." 


F.  D.  SHERMAN 


SEPTEMBER 


THE   THISTLE 
dining  room       beautiful       fragrant       dinner 

What  is  this  ? 
This  is  the  thistle. 

But  the  bees  think  that 
it  is  their  dining  room. 

And  is  it  not  a  beautiful 
dining  room  ? 

How  fragrant  it  is  ! 
What    does     the   thistle 
give  the  bees  for  dinner? 

The  thistle  likes  to  have 
the  bees  visit  her. 

They  put  her  flower  dust 
just  where  she  wants  it. 

That    is   why   she   is   so 
red  and  so  fragrant, 
She  says  to  the  bees  :  — 
"  I  am  beautiful,  that  you  may  see  me. 
"  I  am  fragrant,  that  you  may  find  me. 
"  Come  to  me. 
"I  will  give  you  something  good  to  eat." 


THE   THISTLE 


touches       punishment       cattle       reason 


Here    is   the    thistle 
again ! 

These  are  her  leaves. 
Do  they  say  :  — 

"Come    to    me,    for   I   am 

beautiful"? 
^  Vj      No,  they  say  :  — 

\      "  No     one     touches    me 
without  punishment." 

To  whom  do  the  leaves  say 
this? 

They  say  it  to  the  cattle. 
Perhaps  this  is  the  reason  that  thistles  grow 
where  nothing  else  will. 

What  do  you  think  about  it  ? 


10 


SEPTEMBER 


donkey       balloons       basket       traveller 

And  here  is  the  thistle  again  ! 
The  bees  are  not  near  her  flowers  now. 
Even  the  donkey  will  not  eat  her  dry  leaves. 
But  look  at  the  little  balloons ! 

See  how  they  fly  in  the  wind. 
The  top  part  is  of  finest  silk. 
Below  is  a  little  basket. 
In  this  basket   lies   a    little 

traveller  asleep. 
The    wind   will   carry   him 
far  from  his  mother. 

But    this    will    not    hurt 
^A       him. 

He    will    not    even    know 
about  it. 

He  will    sleep    away    until 
spring. 

Then  he  will  creep  out  of  his  basket. 
He  will  work  and  work  and  work. 
And  he  will  grow  and  grow  and  grow. 
And  at  last  he  will  be  a  beautiful  thistle  just 
like  his  mother. 


LEARNING  NAMES 


11 


learned       golden  rod    ^./^ 
robin       called 
of  course 


Once 

there  was 
a  little  girl. 
She  loved  to  go 
to  the  woods. 

)  She  said  often  :  — 

"  Oh  !   see  that  pretty  flower.     Oh  !  look  at 
that  beautiful  bird." 

But    as    she    grew    older    she    learned    to 
say:  — 

"  Oh  !  there  is  the  golden  rod  !     Oh  !  look  at 
the  robin." 


12 


SEPTEMBER 


And  the  flowers  and  the  birds  liked  to  hear 
their  names. 

Do  you  like  to  be  called  just  "little  girl "  ? 

Or  do  you  like  to  be  called  just  "  little  boy  ''  ? 

No ;  you  like  to  be  called  by  your  right 
name,  of  course. 

And  do  you  know  the  names  of  the  flowers  I 

I  will  help  you  to  learn  them. 


SEPTEMBER'S  FLOWERS 


branches       torches       butterflies       cousin 


aster 


This  is  the  golden 
rod. 

Look  at  its 
branches. 

Do  they  not  re- 
mind you  of  the  elm 
tree? 

But  their  heads 
are  yellow,  not  green. 

They  look  like 
torches  along  the 
road. 


COUSINS   OF   THE   GOLDEN   ROD 


13 


City  people  would  not  say  torches. 

They  would  say  street  lamps. 
Sometimes  the  butterflies  and 
bees  are  late  coming  home. 
The  golden  rod  lamps  help  them 
jp*      to  find  the  way. 

And   here   is   a   cousin   of   the    golden 
rod. 

It  is  the  aster,  or  star  flower. 


OTHER  COUSINS  OF  THE  GOLDEN  ROD 

Black-eyed-Susan     Chicory 
waken       risen 

The  golden 
rod  and 
aster 
many 
cousins. 

One    of    them 
is  called  the    sun 
flower.    She  was  named 
for  the  sun  because  she 

loves  it. 

rt ' '  •"  J 

v.x" 


14 


SEPTEMBER 


She  watches  the  sun  all  day  long. 

When  the  sun  moves,  she  moves. 

Do  you  like  to  look  at  things  that  you  love  ? 


My  name  is  Black- 
eyed-Susan. 


And  mine  is  Chicory. 

My  eyes  are  blue. 

But  like  my  cousin,  I  love  the  sun. 

When  he  sleeps,  I  shut  my  eyes  too. 

I  do  not  waken  until  the  sun  has  risen 


SOME   OF   THE   GOLDEN   ROD'S   FRIENDS  15 

SOME  OF  THE  GOLDEN  ROD'S  FRIENDS 

relatives        different       nasturtium        insects 
hidden       spur 

We  are  not  relatives  of  the  golden  rod. 
But  we  are  their  friends. 
We  open  our  flowers  in  the  autumn  too. 
But  some  of  us  live  in  very  different  places. 


My  name  is  the  garden  nasturtium. 
The  insects  visit  me,  for  I  have  a  great  deal 
of  honey. 

It  is  hidden  in  this  long  spur. 
Taste  it.     Is  it  not  good  ? 


16 


SEPTEMBER 


carrot       everybody       vase       lace 
morning  glories       Jamestown  weed 

I  am  the  wild  carrot. 

Every  one  knows  me. 

But  not    everybody   knows 
my  name. 

Very  few  people  know  how 
beautiful  I  am. 

Put  me  by  myself  in  a  vase. 

Do  I  not  look  "like  lace  ? 
Some  people  call  me  Bird's  Nest. 
Can  you  see  the  reason  why  ? 


I  grow  by  the 
roadside  too. 

And    I    am 
much  more  beau- 
tiful than  people 
think. 

My  flowers 
look  like  morn- ,,, 
ing  glories.         y 

But  I  am  not  a 
morning  glory. 

I  grow  on  a  bush, 
not  on  a  vine. 


My  name  is 
Jamestown  weed. 


THE 

UNIVERSITY   ] 


THE  BEES 


17 


THE  BEES 

sucks       mouth       real       stomach 
market 


basket 


What  does  the  bee  do  with  the  honey  ? 

What  does  he  make  with  flower  dust  ? 

The  honey  he  sucks  up  into  his  mouth. 

But  it  does  not  go  to  his  real  stomach. 

He  keeps  it  in  a  nice  little  bag. 

For  he  does  not  want  it  all  for  himself. 

He  gets  it  for  his  little  sisters  and  brothers, 
or  he  puts  it  away  for  winter. 

The  flower  dust  he  carries  home  in  a  basket. 

Where  does  your  mother  carry  her  market 
basket  ? 

The  bee  carries  his  on  his  leg. 

It  is  always  ready  for  use. 


18 


SEPTEMBER 


TO  A  HONEY  BEE 

Busy  body,  busy  body, 
Always  on  the  wing ; 
Wait  a  bit 

Where  you  have  lit, 
And  tell  me  what 
you  sing. 


* '  w®  ?Jx*!"«ref*W1 

tlfat  :*fer*/': 


Up  "&nd  in  the  air  again, 

Flap,  flap,  flap ! 

And  now  she  stops, 
And  now  she  drops, 

Into  the  rose's  lap. 

Come  just  a  minute,  come, 
From  your  rose  so  red ; 

Hum,  hum, 

Hum,  hum,  — 
That  was  all  she  said. 


THE   CATERPILLAR 


19 


Busy  body,  busy  body, 
Always  light  and  gay ; 

It  seems  to  me, 

For  all  I  see, 
Your  work  is  only  play. 


—  ALICE  GARY. 


another       worker       caterpillar 
damage    foolish    helping 

And  here  is  another  hard 
worker. 

His  name  is  the  cater- 
pillar. 

But   he    does   a 
great  deal    of 
damage.      He 
eats  the  leaves 
from  the  trees. 
We  do  not  want  our  trees  eaten  up. 
Shall  we  kill  the  caterpillars  then  ? 
Birds  eat  caterpillars.     We  do   not  want  to 
take  away  the  birds'  dinner. 
No  ;  for  we  love  the  birds. 
But  why  are  there  so  many  caterpillars  ? 
Why  do  not  the  birds  eat  them  up  ? 


20  SEPTEMBER 

Perhaps  some  one  has  killed  the  birds  ? 
Surely  no  one  would  be  so  foolish. 
Perhaps  not. 

But   sometimes   boys  take   birds'  eggs  from 
the  nest. 

And  birds'  eggs  become  birds. 

Let  us  kill  caterpillars  by  helping  the  birds. 


THE   GRASSHOPPER  FAMILY 

grasshopper       rubbing       Katy  did 
better       clothes 


How  do  you  do,  Mr.  Grasshopper  ? 
What  a  long  pair  of  legs  you  have ! 
Perhaps  that  is  why  you  can  jump  so  far. 
But  I  have  seen  you  fly  too. 
Look !     Look  !     He  is  singing,  but  not  with 
his  mouth. 

He  is  rubbing  his  legs  against  his  wings. 


THE   CONCERT 


21 


What  does  he  say  ? 

He  says, — 

"  Zip  —  zip  — zip  —  ze-e-e-e-e-e. 

"  This  is  my  cousin,  Miss  Katy  did. 


"  She  can  talk  much  better  than  I. 

"She  is  more  beautiful. 

"  Her  dress  is  of  green. 

"  But  then  she  lives  in  the  trees. 

"  My  dress  is  the  color  of  the  dry  grass  where 
I  live. 

"  We  each  of  us  have  just  the  clothes  that  we 
need." 


22  SEPTEMBER 


THE   CONCERT 

odors        fireflies        darkness        thousand 
crickets        screeched 

All    day  long   grasshoppers   had    sung   their 
song :  — 

Zip  —  zip  —  zip  —  ze-e-e-e-e-e. 

And  the  bees  had  told  their  story :  — 

Hum  —  hum  —  hum. 

But  now  it  was  dusk. 

Grasshoppers  and  bees  had  gone  to  bed. 

The  flowers  sent  out  their  sweetest  odors. 

The  fireflies  lit  up  the  darkness. 

And  then  the  real  concert  began. 

"Katy  did  — did  — did. 

"  Katy  didn't  —  didn't  —  did  —  did  —  did." 

"  Tr-r-r-r-r-rdt,"  went  the  tree  toad. 

A  thousand  crickets  joined  in  the  chorus. 

"Chirp!  Chirp!!  Chirp!!!" 

The  frogs  croaked. 

The  screech  owl  screeched. 

******* 
We  know  that  this  happens  every  night. 
But  would  you  believe  it  ? 
Some  people  have  never  heard  it. 


SEPTEMBER  23 


SEPTEMBER 

orchards       bending       tokens 
summer       autumn 

The  golden  rod  is  yellow ; 
The  corn  is  turning  brown ; 
The  trees  in  apple  orchards 
With  fruit  are  bending  down. 


By  all  these  lovely  tokens 
September  days  are  here, 
With  summer's  best  of  weather 
And  autumn's  best  of  cheer. 

—  HELEN  HUNT  JACKSON 


OCTOBER 

"  October's  bright  blue  weather ! 


A  BIT   OF  ADVICE 


Lady  bug,  Lady 

bug, 

If  I  were  you, 
I  would  always  carry 

A  bucket  of  dew, 
To  dash  on  my  house,  if  it  burned, 

And  then,  may  be, 
I'd  save  every  little  Lady  bug  baby. 

—  Youth's  Companion. 


AN  OAK  GALL 

Here  is  another  queer  little  house. 

It  grows  on  the 
oak. 

But  it  is  not 
an  acorn. 

It  has  no  door 
nor  any  win- 
dows. 


28 


OCTOBER 


But  some  day  a  little  insect  will  come  out 
of  it. 

How  did  he  get  in  ? 
I  will  tell  you. 

Here  is  Mother  Gall  Fly. 
One  day  she  made 
a  hole    in   the  oak 
twig. 

She   cut    it  with 
her  sword. 

Inside  the  hole  she  put  an  egg.  In  a  short 
time  this  little  house  grew  around  the  egg.  The 
oak  built  the  house. 

Perhaps  she  wanted  to  get  the  egg  as  far 
from  her  as  she  could. 


whisper     weather  vane 
least       whichever       heart 

Where  did  Shepherd  Wind 
come  from  to-day  ? 

How  do  you  know  ? 

Did  the  leaves  whisper  it 
to  you  ? 

Or  did  the  weather  vane 
tell  you  ? 

Here  is  the  weather  vane. 


SHEPHERD   WIND 


N  stands  for  North. 
E  stands  for  East. 
S    stands  for  South. 
W  stands  for  West. 

"  Wind  from  the  north  or  east 

You  I  like  least, 
Wind  from  the  south  and  west 
You  I  like  best." 

What  kind  of  weather  does  Shepherd  Wind 
bring  with  him  from  the  east? 
Let  us  watch  and  find  out. 

"  Whichever  way  the  wind  doth  blow, 
Some  heart  is  glad  to  have  it  so. 
Then  blow  it  east  or  blow  it  west, 
The  wind  that  blows,  that  wind  is  best." 


30 


OCTOBER 


milkweed       dandelion       whisked        journey 
companion       ailanthus 

The  milkweed  spoke :  — 
"  You  are  not  the  only  plant  who  makes  bal- 
loons for  her  seed  babies. 


"Look  at  me." 

"  And  look  at  me  too,"  said  the  dandelion. 
Just  then  Shepherd  Wind  carne  along. 
Quicker  than  a  wink,  he  whisked  away  the 
babies. 

What  a  long  journey  they  took ! 
Here  are  some  of  their  companions. 


SHEPHERD   WIND 


31 


This  is  the  Maple  Seed,  And  Mr.  Ash. 

with  its  two  wings. 


And  Mr.  Ailanthus,  with 
only  one  wing. 

At  last  the 
babies  landed  on 
the  ground. 

Here   they   saw   other   babies  without   their 
mothers. 


Shepherd  Wind  did  not  bring 
them. 

What   did,  I 
wonder  ? 

Perhaps  a  lit- 
tle boy. 

Or  a  sheep ! 


32  OCTOBER 


THE  CHESTNUT   BURR 

chestnut       burr       spines       painted 
knocked       opened 


Look  at  this  little  green  house. 
All  summer  long  three  children  have   been 
growing,  growing,  growing. 

I  think  that  it  has  been  a  safe  little  house. 

For  look  at  its  sharp  spines. 

They  say:  — 

"  Do  not  touch  us. 

"  It  will  not  be  safe  to  do  so," 


THE   CHESTNUT  BURR 


33 


Here  is  the  little 
house  again. 

It  is  no  longer 
green. 

The  Wind  has 
painted  it  brown. 

He  whistled  so  loud 
at  his  work  that  the 
babies  began  to  waken. 

Then  Jack  Frost 
came  and  knocked  at 
the  door. 

"  Come  out,  little  children,  come  play  with 
me." 

But  Jack  Frost  had   to  knock  many  times 
before  the  door  opened. 


different 


velvet       tired 
frolic 


shiny       enjoy 


Here  is  the  little  house  again. 

And  here  are   the  three 
little  chestnut  children. 

Do  you  think  .that  they 
are  all  alike  ? 

No,  indeed.     They  are  as 
different  as  other  brothers  and  sisters. 


34  OCTOBER 

What  a  beautiful  house. 

It  is  as  soft  as  velvet  inside. 

But  the  children  are  tired  of  their  lovely 
home. 

They  want  to  go  out  into  the  world. 

When  Jack  Frost  opens  the  door, 

They  will  go  out  with  Shepherd  Wind. 

What  a  life  he  will  lead  them  ! 

But  their  shiny  coats  will  keep  them  dry. 

And  so  they  will  enjoy  the  frolic. 

But  at  last  they  will  be  tired  out. 

Then  they  will  go  to  sleep  till  spring  comes 
to  waken  them. 


THE  WIND   AND   THE   SUN 

"  I  blow,"  said  the  wind. 

"  Then  I  bow,"  said  the  tree, 
"  And  I  fly,"  said  the  cloud, 

"  Then  I  frown,"  said  the  sea. 

"I  shine,"  said  the  sun. 

"  Then  I  bloom,"  said  the  tree- 
"And  I  float,"  said  the  cloud, 

"  Then  I  smile,"  said  the  sea. 

—  From  Youth's  Companion. 


THE  SUN 


35 


THE  SUN 

sunbeams       soldiers       forward       arrows 
bravely       conquer 


The  sunbeams  are  the  soldiers  of  the  sun. 
Every  morning  they  march  forward. 
They  cross  deep  seas  and  rivers. 
They  climb  high  mountains. 
They  shoot  their  shining  arrows. 


36  OCTOBER 

Who  is  it  that  they  fight  so  bravely  ? 
It  is  the  night. 

Every  morning  they  conquer  the  night. 
But  every  evening  she  returns  again. 
Still  the  sun  really  conquers  even  then. 
For  the  moonlight  is  sunlight. 
The  sun  shines  on  the  moon. 
And  the  moon  sends  it  back  to  us. 


THE   SUN    AGAIN 

Did  you  know  that  the  sun  is  always  shining  ? 

It  shines  even  at  night. 

But  our  world  is  always  turning  around. 

So  at  night  it  takes  us  away  from  the  sun. 

The  sun  is  working  in  China  while  we  sleep 
here. 

And  when  the  people  of  China  sleep,  the  sun 
works  for  us. 

What  does  the  sun  do  ? 

He  gives  us  the  light. 

He  helps  the  plants  to  grow. 

He  warms  us. 

He  carries  water  up  into  the  sky. 

He  gives  us  the  beautiful  rainbow ! 

And  at  the  foot  of  the  rainbow  lies  a  pot  of  gold. 


GOOD   MORNING,    MERRY   SUNSHINE  37 


GOOD    MORNING,   MERRY   SUNSHINE 

morning       sunshine       scared       stopped 
staying       staid 

Good  morning,  merry  sunshine, 
How  did  you  wake  so  soon  ? 

You  have  scared  the  little  stars  away, 
And  driven  away  the  moon. 

I  saw  you  go  to  sleep  last  night, 
Before  I  stopped  my  playing  ; 

How  did  you  get  'way  over  there, 
And  where  have  you  been  staying  ? 

.  I  never  go  to  sleep,  dear  child, 

I  just  go  'round  to  see 
My  little  children  of  the  east, 
Who  rise  and  watch  for  me. 

I  waken  all  the  birds  and  bees 

And  flowers  on  my  way, 
And  last  of  all  the  little  child 

Who  staid  out  late  to  play. 

—  EMILIE  POULSSON. 


38  OCTOBER 

SUNSHINE   STORIES 
pardon       howling       silence 

"1  am  going  to  tell  a  story/'  said  the  Wind. 
"  I  beg  your  pardon/*  said  the  Rain. 
"  It  is  my  turn  now. 
"  You  have  been  howling  long  enough/' 
"  I  will  speak  myself/'  said  the  Sunshine. 
"  Silence,  both  of  you." 
The  Wind  stopped  talking  at  once. 
Then  the  Rain  beat  against  him. 
He  shook  him,  and  said  :  — 
"  We  won't  stand  it. 

"  She  is  always  breaking  through  —  is  Madame 
Sunshine. 

"  What  she  has  to  say  is  not  worth  hearing." 
Still  the  Sunshine  began  to  talk. 
This  is  what  she  said :  — 

THE  FIRST  STORY 
waves      feathers     fortune      merchant      ship 

A  swan  flew  over  the  waves  of  the  ocean. 

It  was  a  bird  of  Good  Fortune. 

Every  one  of  its  feathers  shone  like  gold. 


SUNSHINE   STORIES 


39 


One  of  them  drifted  to  a  great  merchant  ship. 
It  fell  on  the  curly  hair  of  a  young  man. 


It  touched  his  forehead. 

It  became  a  pen  in  his  hand. 

It  brought  him  luck. 

Soon  he  became  a  wealthy  merchant. 


THE   SECOND   STOKY 
farther       shade       wonderfrf       pillow 

The  swan  flew  farther  and  farther  away. 
At  last  he  came  to  a  sunny,  green  meadow. 
There  was  in  this  meadow  only  one  tree. 
Under  its  shade  a  little  boy  lay  asleep. 
The  swan  kissed  one  of  the  leaves  of  the  tree, 
It  fell  into  the  boy's  hand. 


40  OCTOBER 

And  as  it  fell,  it  changed  into  three  leaves  — 
to  ten  —  to  a  whole  book. 

In  this  wonderful  book  he  read  about  the 
birds. 

It  told  him  of  the  flowers  and  the  trees. 

He  read  in  it  about  the  stones,  and  everything 
good. 

At  night  he  laid  the  book  under  his  pillow. 

He  did  not  want  to  forget  what  he  had  been 
reading. 

This  wonderful  book  led  him  to  a  school. 

And  from  the  school  he  went  everywhere. 

He  was  studying  all  the  time. 

"I  have  seen  his  name  among  the  names 
of  wise  men,"  said  the  Sunshine. 

THE   TRIED   STORY 
reeds       pecking       cracked       opened 

The  swan  flew  into  the  quiet  woods. 

He  rested  awhile  on  a  deep,  dark  lake. 

A  poor  woman  was  gathering  dry  sticks  for 
fire  wood. 

In  her  arms  she  held  her  little  child. 

She  saw  the  golden  swan,  as  he  rose  from 
the  reeds. 


SUNSHINE   STORIES  41 

What  was  it  that  shone  so  ? 

A  golden  egg  that  was  still  quite  warm. 

She  put  it  next  her  heart. 

Soon  she  heard  a  gentle  pecking  inside  the 
shell. 

But  she  thought  it  was  the  beating  of  her 
own  heart. 

In  her  little  house,  she  took  out  the  egg. 

"Tick!  tick!"  it  said  as  if  it  had  been  a 
golden  watch. 

But  it  was  not. 

It  was  an  egg — a  real,  living  egg. 

The  egg  cracked  and  opened. 

Out  came  a  dear  little  baby  swan. 

Around  its  neck  were  four  rings. 

The  woman  had  four  boys. 

So  she  knew  at  once,  that  there  was  one 
ring  for  each  boy. 

Just  as  she  took  them  the  bird  flew  away. 

She  kissed  each  of  the  rings. 

She  made  each  of  the  children  kiss  one. 

She  laid  it  over  his  heart. 

Then  she  put  it  on  his  finger. 

"I  saw  it  all,"    said  the  Sunshine. 

"And  I  saw  what  happened  afterward." 


42 


OCTOBER 


turned       Jason       Golden  Fleece 
squeezed       musician       poet 

One  of  the  boys  was  playing  beside  a  brook 
He  picked  up  a  lump  of  clay. 

(v~  He  turned  and  twisted 

,7 

it. 

At  last  it  looked  like 
Jason    who    found     the 
Golden  Fleece. 

The  second  boy  ran 
into  the  meadow. 

He  gathered  a 
handful  of  beautiful 
flowers. 

He  squeezed  them 
tightly. 

The   juice   flew   into   his   eyes 
and  on  his  hands. 
After   many   a   day,  and   many   a  year,   he 
became  a  great  painter. 

The   third   child   held  the  ring  in  his  teeth. 

It  made  a  beautiful  sound. 

It  was  only  the  echo  of  a  song  in  his  heart. 

But  it  was  the  beginning. 

He  became  at  last  a  great  musician 


I  SUNSHINE   STORIES  43 

And    the    fourth    little    one  —  yes,   he    was 
e  ".ugly  duck"  of  the  family. 
"  But  I  gave  him  warm  sunny  kisses,"  said 
the  Sunshine. 

"And  he  became  a  great  poet." 


stupid       tiresome       fisherman       amber 

"That  was  a  very  long  story,"  said  the 
Wind. 

"  And  so  stupid  and  tiresome,"  said  the  Kain. 

"  Blow  on  me,  Wind,  that  I  may  feel  better." 

While  the  Wind  blew,  the  Sunshine  said :  - 

The  swan  of  fortune  flew  over  a  lovely  bay. 

Here  some  fishermen  were  setting  their 
nets. 

To  the  poorest  of  them  the  swan  gave  a 
piece  of  amber. 

Amber  draws  things  toward  itself. 

And  it  drew  hearts  to  his  poor  little  house. 

The  fisherman  and  his  wife  were  happy  in. 
their  little  home. 

And  so  their  life  became  a  real  sunshine 
story. 


44  OCTOBER 

"I  think  that  we  had  better  stop  now/'  said 
the  Wind. 

"I  am  very  tired. 

"And  I  am  sure  that  the  Sunshine  has 
talked  long  enough." 

"I  think  so  too/'  said  the  Rain. 

And  what  do  we  say  ? 

We  say,  "  Now  the  story  is  done." 

—  Adapted  from  ANDERSEN, 


THE  FALLING   LEAVES 

branches       cared       plenty       clothes 
dresses 

The  leaves  have  been  hard  at  work. 

Look  at  the  ends  of  the  branches.  See  what 
they  have  made. 

These  baby  buds  have  been  well  cared  for. 

The  leaves  have  given  them  plenty  of  warm, 
dry  clothes. 

#         #         #         #         #         #         # 

Shepherd  Wind  has  been  talking  to  the  leaves. 

He  has  been  saying :  — 

"  Come,  put  on  your  bright  dresses. 


I  THE   FALLING  LEAVES  45 

"  Then  we  will  have  a  fine  frolic. 
"  And  then  there  will  be  more  good  work  for 
you." 

So  the  leaves  put  on  their  gowns  of  yellow 
and  red. 

They  flew  away  with  Shepherd  Wind. 
"  Good-by?"  they  said,  "  good-by,  dear  mother 
tree." 

"  Good-by,"  said  the  mother. 

"  I  shall  stay  here  to  take  care  of  our  babies." 


colder       faded       brown       fluttered 
covered       scattered 


The  leaves  had  a  fine  time  playing  with  the 
Wind. 

But  soon  it  grew  colder.  Their  bright  dresses 
became  faded  and  brown. 

They  fluttered  softly  on  the  ground. 

At  last  they  fell  asleep. 

While  they  slept  they  covered  up  the  seeds. 

You  remember  that  Shepherd  Wind  had  scatr 
tered  them. 

The  blue  sky  smiled  down  upon  them. 

Can  you  think  why  ? 


46  OCTOBER 

All  their  lives  long  these  little  leaves   had 
been  doing  good. 

Even  now  they  were  helping  others. 
And  they  had  had  a  good  time  too. 


Hallowe'en       November       Saints       ghosts 
hinges       barrel       grinning       monster 

To-night  will  be  Hallowe'en. 

September  has  gone. 

October  is  going. 

November  will  soon  be  here. 

Hallowe'en  is  the  last  night  of  October. 

It  is  the  night  before  All  Saints'  Day. 

Perhaps  this  is  why  people  think  that  ghosts 
come  back  to  earth. 

Strange  things  certainly  happen  every  Hallow- 
e'en. 

But  I  do  not  believe  that  they  are  done  by 
ghosts. 

Would  a  ghost  ring  front  door  bells  ? 

If  they  did,  would  their  feet  fairly  rattle 
down  the  steps? 

Would  ghosts  take  front  gates  from  their 
hinges  ? 

Would  ghosts  run  off  with  ash  barrels  ? 


OCTOBER'S  PARTY  47 


I 
Would  a  ghost  cut  the  top  from  a  pumpkin  ? 
Would  he  then  cut  out 
the  inside? 

Would  he  cut  out  two 
eyes,  a  nose,  and  a  mouth 
full  of  teeth  ? 

Would  he  put  a  candle  ' 
inside  ? 

Would  he  put  the  grinning  monster  in  a  dark 
place  ? 
Perhaps. 
But  it  was  a  boy  who  did  all  this  last  year. 


OCTOBER'S  PARTY 

October       hundreds       carpet       crimson 
scarlet 

October  gave  a  party ; 

The  leaves  by  hundreds  came, 
From  Chestnuts,  Oaks,  and  Maples, 

From  trees  of  every  name. 

The  sunshine  spread  a  carpet, 
And  everything  was  grand  ; 

Miss  Weather  led  the  dancing, 
Professor  Wind  the  band, 


48  OCTOBER 

The  Chestnuts  came  in  yellow, 
The  Oaks  in  crimson  dressed, 

The  lovely  Misses  Maple 
In  scarlet  looked  their  best. 

Professor  Wind  played  louder ; 

They  flew  along  the  ground, 
And  then  the  party  ended 

In  hands  across,  all  round. 

—  From  Song  Stories  for  Little  Folks. 


NOVEMBER 

November's  sky  is  chill  and  drear, 
November's  leaf  is  red  and  sere." 

—  SiR  WALTER  SCOTT 


THE   ENGLISH   SPARROW 

sparrow     throat      mate     people      breakfast 
dinner      supper      beak      nostrils 


This  is  Mr.  Sparrow. 

Look  at  the  black  mark  on  his  throat. 

Do  you  see  the  white  bar  on  the  wings  ? 

Mrs.  Sparrow  has  a  gray  throat. 

She  has  no  white  on  her  wing. 

She  is  not  as  pretty  as  her  mate. 

But  the  baby  Sparrows  look  like  her. 

51 


52 


NOVEMBER 


Mr.  and  Mrs.  Sparrow  like  to  eat  corn. 

The  Sparrow,  children  eat  the  same  thing. 

Do  you  not  think  it  is  hard  food  for  such 
little  people? 

Would  you  like  to  eat  hard  seeds  for  your 
breakfast,  dinner,  and  supper  ? 

But  then  you  have  not  a  strong  beak  to  crush 
the  grains. 

The  sparrow  has  two  eyes,  two  nostrils,  two 
ears,  two  arms,  two  legs. 

Its  nostrils  are  in  its  beak. 

His  ears  are  behind  the  eyes. 

But  where  are  his  arms  ? 


slender       chirp       scold 


Here 


is  Mr.  Spar- 
row again. 

Look  at  his  feet. 

Now  you  see  why 
his  toes  are  so  long. 

But  are  they  not 
in  the  way  when  he 
tries  to  walk? 


He  does  not  walk  ;  he  hops. 

Why  is  he  called  an  English  sparrow  ? 


THE   SPARROW  AGAIN  53 

Because  lie  was  brought  here  from  England. 

We  have  many  sparrows  of  our  own. 

They  are  not  more  beautiful,  perhaps. 

But  some  of  them  have  very  beautiful  voices. 

The  English  sparrow  can  chirp. 

He  cannot  sing. 

He  can  only  scold. 


THE   SPARROW  AGAIN 

nuisance       country       chatter       caterpillar 
different       damage       prosper 

The  English  sparrow  is  a  nuisance  in  the 
country. 

He  fights  with  the  smaller  birds. 

He  keeps  up  a  chatter  that  bothers  the  larger 
ones. 

And  he  eats  a  great  deal  of  fruit.  He  will 
seldom  touch  a  caterpillar. 

But  in  the  city  it  is  different. 

No  other  birds  will  stay  there. 

So  people  are  glad  to  have  even  the  sparrow. 

To  be  sure,  he  does  some  damage. 

He  sometimes  eats  the  young  tree  buds. 


54  NOVEMBER 

But  then,  he  sometimes  eats  a  caterpillar 
too. 

If  it  were  not  for  the  English  sparrow,  some 
people  would  never  see  a  bird. 

"  So  here  is  to  his  good  health,  and  all  his 
family'sc 

"  May  they  live  long,  and  prosper/' 


THE   SPARROW'S  NEST. 

Nay,  only  look  what  I  have  found ! 
A  sparrow's  nest  upon  the  ground ; 
A  sparrow's  nest,  as  you  may  see, 
Blown  out  of  yonder  old  elm  tree. 

And  what  a  medley  thing  it  is ! 
I  never  saw  a  nest  like  this,  — 
Not  neatly  wove  with  tender  care, 
Of  silvery  moss  and  shining  hair ; 

But  put  together,  odds  and  ends, 
Picked  up  from  enemies  and  friends ; 
See,  bits  of  thread,  and  bits  of  rag, 
Just  like  a  little  rubbish-bag  ! 

Ho  WITT. 


FLY  AWAY,   BUTTERFLY 


farewell       butterfly       welcomed 

Fly  away,  butterfly, 

Fly  away  home ; 
The  summer  is  going, 

And  autumn  has  come. 

The  asters  are  blooming, 

The  nuts  are  all  ripe, 
Jack  Frost  comes  to  see  us 

Almost  every  night. 

So  fly  away,  butterfly, 

Fly  far  away 
To  the  land  where  the  sunshine 

And  sweet  roses  stay. 

And  when,  in  the  spring  time, 

The  sunshine  is  here, 
You  must  return 

And  be  welcomed,  my  dear. 

—  Youth's  Companion* 


5fi  NOVEMBER 


WHICH  WAY  DOES  THE  WIND   BLOW? 

o'er       valley       height       traverse       flight 
rages       whither 

Which  way  does  the  wind  blow, 
And  where  does  he  go  ? 
He  rides  o'er  the  water 
And  over  the  snow  ; 
O'er  wood  and  o'er  valley, 
And  over  the  height  — 
Where  goats  cannot  traverse 
He  taketh  his  flight. 

He  rages  and  tosses, 
And  bare  is  the  tree, 
As  when  you  look  upward 
You  plainly  can  see  — 
But  from  whence  he  comes, 
Or  whither  he  goes, 
There  is  no  one  can  tell  }^ou, 
There  is  no  one  who  knows. 

—  MARY  LAMB. 


ESKIMOS  57 

covered       people       Eskimos 
smother       reason 

There  is  to  the  north   of   us  a  land   called 
rreenland. 

It  ought  to  be  called  Whiteland  or  Snowland. 
For  most  of  the  year  it  is  covered  with  snow. 


Here  live  the  people  called  Eskimos. 

They  build  houses  from  blocks  of  snow. 

These  are  much  warmer  than  you  would 
think. 

Perhaps  the  Eskimo  learned  how  warm  they 
were  from  the  white  bear. 


58  NOVEMBER 

Just  before  winter  the  white  bear  lies  down. 
She  waits  until  the  snow  covers  her  all  over. 
The  snow  gets  deeper  and  deeper. 
But  the  white  bear's  warm  body  melts  out  a 
hollow  place. 

Here  she  lives  all  winter  long  without  food. 

And  her  babies  live  with  her. 

Perhaps  you  think  that  they  would  smother. 

No ;  the  snow  is  full  of  air. 

That  is  the  reason  that  it  is  so  white. 

And  then  the  wind  blows  softly  through  it. 


hurrying       creatures       greeted       under- 
ground      buried       treasures 

How  gray  the  trees  look ! 

And  the  earth,  too,  is  hard  and  bare. 

There  are  no  ants  hurrying  along. 

No  grasshoppers  fly  out  of  the  grass. 

We  no  longer  hear  the  "  croak !  croak ! 
croak ! "  of  the  frogs. 

We  do  not  hear  the  "hum!  hum!"  of  the 
bees. 

All  through  the  autumn  living  creatures 
greeted  us  at  every  step. 

But  now  all  is  still. 


AUTUMN 


59 


Where  have  they  gone  ? 
Are  they  dead  ? 

The   ants   have'  gone   to   their   underground 
tome. 

The  grasshoppers  are  mostly  dead. 
But  they  have  left  their  eggs  carefully  buried 
the  ground. 

The   frogs   have   hidden   themselves    in    the 
Lud. 

They  have  begun  their  long  winter  nap. 
The  honey  bees  are  in  their  hives. 
Mrs.  Wasp  and  Mrs.  Bumble  Bee  are  hiding 
mder  logs  or  stones,  or  in  cracks. 
It  seems  as  if  all  life  was  dead,  it  is  true. 
But  life  is  only  asleep. 
Soon  the  buds  and  seeds  and  eggs  and 
cocoons  will  open. 

And  in  the  spring  we  shall  again 
see  the  treasures  that  these  dear  boxes 
hold. 

pupa       finished       safely 

Why,  what  is  this  ? 

Is  it  a  bud  ? 

Let  us  open  it  to  see. 

There  are  no  little  leaves  inside. 


60  NOVEMBER 

But  there  is  plenty  of  loose  silk. 

Then  comes  another  tough  wall. 

And  in  the  inner  room  we  find 
this. 

What  is  it  ? 

It  is  called  a  pupa,  and  it  was  once  a  cater- 
pillar, just  like  this  :  — 

The  caterpillar  made 
his  own  house. 

You  should  have  seen 
him  at  work. 

Spin  !     Spin  !     Spin  ! 

At  last   when   it   was   finished   he   went   to 
sleep. 

What  a  fine  house  he  has  made. 

See  the  shiny  outside  covering. 

Do  you  think  that  the  Rain  can  get  in? 

If  he  did  he  could  not  get  through  the  next 
wall. 

What  a  warm  little  home  it  is. 

I  think  that  the  Pupa  may  safely  sleep  in 
it  all  winter  long. 

Don't  you? 


THE  SILK   WORM 


61 


THE   SILK  WORM 
silk  worm       mulberry       threads       coffin 

Silk  worm  on  the  mulberry  tree 
Spin  a  silken  robe  for  me ; 
Draw   the    threads   oiit   fine 

and  strong, 
Longer  yet  —  and  very 

long; 
Longer  yet — 'twill 

not  be  done 
Till  a  thousand 

more  are  spun . 
Silk  worm,   turn 

this  mulberry  tree 
Into   silken    threads 

for  me ! 

Spinning  ever !  now  'tis  done, 
Silken  threads  enough  are  spun  ! 
Spinning,  they  will  spin  no  more  — 
All  their  little  lives  are  o'er ! 
Pile  them  up  —  a  costly  heap  !  — 
Each  in  his  coffin  gone  to  sleep ! 


62 


NOVEMBER 


Silk  worm  on  the  mulberry  tree, 
Thou  hast  spun  and  died  for  me  ! 

—  MARY  HOWITT. 


hyacinth       cradle      jackets 
waterproof       onion 

I  am  a  hyacinth  bulb. 
The  ground  was  my  cradle. 
All  summer  long  I  grew  and 
grew  and  grew. 

The  bigger  I  grew    the   more 
jackets  I  put  on. 

Now  I  have  a  dozen  jackets. 
Outside  of  these  I  wear  a  waterproof  coat. 
See  what  a  beautiful  flower  is  inside  me. 


I  am  protecting  it  from  the  cold  and  damp 
of  winter ! 


THE   HYACINTH 


63 


I  have  many  cousins. 

They  take  care  of  their  little  flowers  in  the 
.me  way. 


The   lilies   are   my   cousins,    and   the   tulips 


Some  people  do 
lot  like  my  cousin 
the  onion. 

They  think  that 
her  odor  is  too 
strong. 

But  she  is  very 
good  to  eat,  if  it 
were  not  for  that- 


64 


NOVEMBER 


potato       woman       cellar       pieces 

I  was  born  in  the  ground  too. 
But  I  am  not  a  tulip  bulb. 


Oh,  no !  I  am  the  old  woman  who  lived  in 
the  shoe. 

For  I  have  so  many  children  that  I  don't 
know  what  to  do. 

They  are  such  strong  little  children. 

They  do  not  wait  to  be  put  in  the  ground. 

They  will  begin  to  grow  even  in  the  cellar. 


THE   BEAR 


66 


I  You  can  cut  me  into  pieces. 
Then  each  of  these  eyes  will  be  a  potato  plant. 
And  what  will  the  potato  plant  do  all  summer  ? 
Why,  make  other  potatoes,  to  be  sure. 
Perhaps   you   think   that    potato    plants    are 
grown  for  you. 
Not  at  all. 

They  are  grown  for  the  little  potato  children. 
For  the  potato  children  like  to  eat  the  potato 
as  well  as  you. 


THE   BEAR 
autumn      eating     honey     fonder      watching 

I  spend  my  winter  in  the  ground  too. 

But  I  am  not  a 
bulb  either. 

Nor  am  I  a  po- 
tato. 

I  am  Mr.  Bear. 

All  autumn  long, 
I  have  been  eating, 
eating,  eating. 

And  of  what  do  you  suppose  I  have  eaten 
the  most. 


66  NOVEMBER 

Why,  of  honey,  to  be  sure. 

I  am  fonder  of  honey  than  any  little  child. 

And  I  can  eat  more  too. 

It  does  not  make  me  ill  to  eat  a  very  great 
deal  of  sweet. 

I  am  always  watching  for  bees'  nests. 

I  am  very  fat  now. 

I  do  not  feel  like  working  any  more. 

The  other  day  I  found  a  beautiful  den,  under 
the  rocks. 

I  have  been  lining  it  with  moss  and  leaves 
and  pine  branches. 

Is  is  very  warm  and  comfortable  inside. 

I  believe  that  I  could  spend  a  very  happy 
winter  sleeping  there. 

So  good-by,  until  April ! 


THE  RISING  MOON 

watching       surely       rising       higher 
happen       dreadful 

Ah,  the  moon  is  watching  me ! 
White  and  round  as  round  can  be, 
Over  the  house  and  the  top  of  the  tree, 


THE   RISING  MOON 


67 


Rising  slowly, 
We  shall  see 
Something  happen 
Very  soon. 
Hide  me  from  the  dreadful  moon. 


Slowly,  surely,  rising 

higher ; 

Soon   she  will  be   as 
high  as  the  spire ! 

It  seems  as  if  something  must  happen  then 
To  all  the  world  and  all  the  men ! 
Oh,  I  dare  not  think, 
For  I  am  not  wise  ; 
I  must  look  away, 
I  must  shut  my  eyes. 

—  From  Lilliput  Levee. 


68 


NOVEMBER 


THE  MOON 
silver       middle       fairy       golden 

But  the  moon  is  not  always  large  and  white 
and  round. 

Sometimes  it 
looks  like  a  tiny 
silver  boat. 

How       would 
you  like  to  sit  in 
the  middle  of  it  ? 
How  would  you  like  to  sail  around  all  night 
long? 

Perhaps  the  sky  is  a  great  blue  lake. 
And  perhaps  the  stars  are  water  lilies. 
And  perhaps  you  are  a  little  fairy. 
And     perhaps 
—  but  look,  the 
moon  is  no  longer 
a  boat ' 

And  where  are 


you 


You   must   have  fallen   down 


earth 


again 


WHY   WE   HAVE   THANKSGIVING  69 


(The  round  moon  is  called  the  full  moon. 
The  little  boat  is  called  the  new  moon. 
Then  there  is  the  half  moon. 
Indeed,  there  are  two  half  moons. 
After  the  new  moon  comes  the  first  half  moon. 
And  after  the  full  moon  comes  the  last  half 
moon. 

Even  the  full  moon  is  not  as  bright  as  the 
sun. 

We  say  the  golden  sun. 
But  we  say  the  silver  moon. 


WHY  WE  HAVE  THANKSGIVING 

English       Massachusetts       Pilgrims 
harvest       blessings 

Many  years  ago  a  hundred  English  people 
came  to  settle  in  Massachusetts. 

They  were  called  the  Pilgrims. 

Perhaps  you  have  heard  of  our  Pilgrim 
Fathers  ? 

It  was  December  when  they  reached  this 
country. 

Some  rough  log  houses  were  built. 


TO 


NOVEMBER 


But  the  weather  was  very  cold. 
The  snow  fell  fast  and  often. 
They  did  not  have  enough  of  the  right  kind 
of  food. 

So  first  one  was  taken  sick  and  then  another. 


But  in  the  spring  they  planted  plenty  of  corn. 
Summer  brought  the  sunshine  to  ripen  it. 
So  when  autumn  came  they  had  a  fine  harvest. 
They  had  given  thanks  every  day  for  their 
blessings. 

But  they  wanted  to  have  a  big  Thanksgiving. 


THE   FIRST  THANKSGIVING  71 


dinner       pumpkins       turkey 
deer       goodness 

The  Pilgrims  invited  the  Indians  to  their  first 
Thanksgiving  dinner. 

The  mothers  made  pies  out  of  the  pumpkins. 
They  made  bread  and  cakes  from  the  corn. 
The  Pilgrim  fathers  went  hunting  and  fishing. 
What  do  you  think  that  they  found  ? 

A   GREAT   WILD    TURKEY  ! 

And  the  Indians  brought  a  present  of  five 
large  deer. 

They  were  dressed  in  their  very  best. 

They  had  on  plenty  of  paint  and  snakes  and 
fox  tails. 

Both  Pilgrims  and  Indians  thanked  God  for 
his  goodness  to  them. 


72  NOVEMBER 

In  the  evening  they  sang  and  danced. 
They  ran  races  and  played  games  too. 
They  tried  to  see  who  could  shoot  farthest 
They  must  have  had  a  good  time. 
For  they  stayed  three  whole  days. 
And  this  happened  nearly  three  hundred  years 
ago. 


ANOTHER  THANKSGIVING. 

oysters       helped       playthings       stalks 
soldier 

The  Pilgrims  did  not  always  have  so  much  to 
eat  on  Thanksgiving  Day. 

But  they  always  tried  to  be  happy  and  thank- 
ful on  that  day. 

One  year  they  had  nothing  but  some  oysters 
and  a  very  little  corn. 

They  put  the  oysters  and  five  grains  cf  corn 
on  each  plate. 

And  they  were  glad  that  they  had  even  this 
little  food. 

That  was  their  least  happy  Thanksgiving. 

So  ever  after  they  put  five  grains  of  corn  at 
each  plate  every  Thanksgiving. 


ANOTHER   THANKSGIVING  73 

It  showed  them  how  much  more  they  had  to 
be  thankful  for. 

Some  people  still  put  the  five  grains  at  each 
Thanksgiving  plate. 


Even  the  little  Pilgrim  children  were  very 
fond  of  corn. 

They  had  no  toys. 

They  had  to  make  their  own  playthings 

Out  of  the  stalks  they  made  guns. 

The  boys  played  soldier  with  the  guns. 

Then  the  little  girls  sometimes  made  dolls 
from  the  ears. 

The  silk  made  the  hair. 

Look  at  it  on  the  next  page. 

And  best  of  all,  out  of  the  cobs  they  made 
lovely  corn  cob  houses. 


74 


NOVEMBER 


Indians       tassel       princess       satin 

The  Indians  thought 
that  the  corn  plant 
was  once  a  prince. 
They  believed  that 
he  came  to  earth 
to  help  them. 
The  tassel  was 
the  feather  of 
his  cap. 

The    silk 
was  his  gold- 
en hair. 
The  leaves 
made     his 
green  dress. 
Corn    is 
even  beautiful 
enough  to  be  a 
princess. 

Have  you  seen  the 
long  slender  leaves  shining  like  satin  in  the  sun  ? 
Perhaps   the   tassel   was    the    feather    in    a 
prince's  cap. 

But  what  is  it  now  ? 


CORN  75 


I  It  is  the  flower  of  the  corn. 
The  corn  has  two  kinds  of  flowers. 

The  tassel  is  one  kind,  and  makes  the  flower 
dust. 

All  flowers  have  to  have  this  dust  to  make 
the  seeds. 

But  where  are  the  seeds  ? 

Not  at  the  top  on  the  tassel. 

No ;  they  are  on  the  corn  cob  below. 

Take  off  the  husk  from  the  corn. 

See  how  the  silk  comes  from  the  grains. 

But  sometimes  there  is  silk  and  no  grain  of 
corn. 

Shepherd  Wind  did  not  carry  the  flower  dust 
to  this  thread  of  silk. 

But  he  does  his  work  well  on  the  whole. 

And  so  most  ears  of  corn  are  full  of  grains. 


DECEMBER 

And  dull  December  brings  to  earth 
That  time  which  gave  our  Savior  birth. " 

"  The  year  is  done  —  Let  all  revere 
The  great  good  Father  of  the  year/' 

HOWITT. 


THE  THREE  LITTLE  GOLDFISH 
crumbs       remember       lattice       frightened 

There  was  once  a  man  who  had  three  gold- 
fish. 

Every  day  he  threw  crumbs  to  them 

The  fish  would  swim  quickly  to  the  top  to 
eat  the  crumbs. 

Then  the  good  man  would  say :  — 

"  Dear  little  goldfish,  remember  two  things. 

"  Never  swim  through  the  lattice  into  the  big 
pond. 

"  And  never  go  up  the  bank  when  I  am  not 
here." 

The  little  fish  did  not  understand. 

So  the  man  went  down  and  stood  near  the 
lattice. 

Whenever  the  fish  swam  near  the  lattice, 
he  beat  the  water  with  a  stick. 

This  frightened  the  fish  away. 

79 


80  DECEMBER 

He  did  the  same  thing  when  they  came  to  the 
bank. 

But  still  the  fish  did  not  understand. 


"  He  is  on  top  himself,"  said  one  little  fish, 

"  He  does  not  love  us.  He  does  not  want 
us  to  have  a  good  time,"  said  another. 

"I  shall  not  mind  him,"  said  the  first  fish. 

"  I  shall  go  right  off  to  the  big  pond." 

"I  shall  not  mind  him  either,"  said  the 
second. 

"  I  am  going  upon  the  bank  to  enjoy  the 
beautiful  sunshine." 

But  the  third  little  goldfish  stayed  down  in 
the  deep  water. 

He  did  not  know  why  the  man  told  him  to 
do  so.  He  only  knew  that  the  man  loved  him. 

But  what  do  you  think  happened  ? 

When  the  first  fish  came  to  the  big  pond, 
a  great  fish  ate  him  up. 

The  second  little  fish  died  on  the  bank. 

And  only  the  third  little  fish  was  left  alive. 

He  lived  for  a  long  time  in  the  clear  water 
of  the  beautiful  pond. 

—  Adapted  from  LA  FONTAINE. 


THE  GOLDFISH  81 

THE   GOLDFISH 
eyelids       breathing       gill  covers 


Here  is  the  Goldfish 

He  has  two  eyes, -a  nose,  a  mouth,  a  pair  of 
arms,  and  a  pair  of  legs. 

He  has  no  eyelids. 

But  he  can  move  his  eyes. 

His  nose  is  hard  to  find. 

Just  like  your  nose,  it  is  above  the  mouth. 

But  he  does  not  use  these  small  holes  for 
breathing. 

He  breathes  through  his  mouth  and  gill  covers. 

The  water  goes  into  his  mouth  and  out  past 
the  gills. 

But  water  is  not  air. 

No ;  but  there  is  air  in  it. 

Have  you  never  watched  the  water  boil  ? 

Then  you  have  seen  the  air  coming  out  of  it. 


82  DECEMBER 

It  is  easy  enough  to  find  a  fish's  mouth. 

He  opens  and  shuts  it  all  day  long. 

It  is  no  wonder.  For  he  has  to  breathe  and 
eat  with  it. 

How  does  the  fish  move  ? 

Just  as  our  little  baby  creeps. 

He  uses  both  his  hands  and  feet. 

To  be  sure  we  do  not  call  them  hands  and 
feet. 

We  call  them  fins. 

They  are  not  just  like  hands  and  feet  either. 

But  then  a  fish  lives  in  the  water. 

Perhaps  if  we  had  to  swim  all  day  long  our 
hands  would  be  like  fins  too. 

aquarium       tadpole       mussel       covering 

Are  these  animals  fish  too  ? 

They  live  in  the  aquarium  with  the  fish. 


The  first  one  is  called  a  tadpole. 

But  then  the  shad  is  not  called  a  fish  either. 


THE  TADPOLE 


83 


The  Tadpole  has  two  eyes,  nose,  mouth  and 
tail. 

And  so  has  the  fish. 

But  the  tadpole  has  no  arms  nor  legs. 

But   perhaps  that  does   not   matter. 

Wait  until  spring,  and  then  we  shall  see. 

These    other   animals    do    not 
look  at  all  like  a  fish. 

One  of  them  is  a  snail,  and 
the  other  a  mussel. 


Both  of  them  have  very  strange  coverings. 

The  snail  carries  his  house  with  him. 

But  it  is  very  light. 

His  body  is  so  soft  that  he  needs  a  shell  to 
protect  him. 

But  how  does  the  mussel  get  around  with  his 
heavy  house  ? 

He  cannot  move  quite  so  quickly  as  the 
snail. 


84 


DECEMBER 


But  he  has  a  foot,  and  walks  mostly  at  night. 
The   long  marks  in  the  sand   are  made  by 
his  foot. 


THE  SPRUCE  TREE 
snowflakes       evergreens       branches      cones 


See  the  snowflakes  on  the  spruce  tree ! 

Do  they  not  look  pretty  on  the  green  leaves  ? 


THE   SPRUCE   TREE  85 

By  and  by  the  wind  will  shake  them  off. 

The  spruce  tree  does  not  mind  keeping  them 
until  then.     Her  branches  are  tough. 

The  spruce  tree  is  one  of  the  evergreens. 

They  do  not  mind  Jack  Frost  nor  the  north- 
west wind. 

All  winter  long  they  keep 
their  green  leaves. 

But    these   leaves  are    not 
like  those  of  other  trees. 

They  are  long  and 
slender. 

They    are    called 
needles. 

And  here  are  the  flowers  of 
the  spruce. 

They  are  called  cones. 

But  in  each  scale  there  are 
two  pretty  winged  seeds. 

And  this  is  one  reason 
why  all  birds  love  evergreen  trees. 

Do  you  ever  go  bird  hunting  in  winter  ? 

If  you  do,  then  watch  the  evergreen  trees. 


86 


DECEMBER 


OTHER  EVERGREENS 

balsam  fir       rounder       pointed 
mistletoe 


Christmas 


There  are  many   kinds  of  ever- 
greens. 

Here  is  the  balsam  fir ! 
It   looks  very   much   like 
a  spruce. 

But  its  branches  are  natter, 
and  its  needles  less  pointed, 
the   spruce    and  balsam  fir 


Both 


are  used  for  Christmas. 

Notice  whether  your  Christmas  tree  is  a  spruce 
or  a  fir. 

And  here  are  some  other  Christmas  greens  :  — 


This  is  the  holly.     And  this  is  the  mistletoe. 


OTHER   EVERGREENS  87 

The  mistletoe  grows  on  other  trees. 

It  keeps  them  green  after  they  have  lost  their 
own  green  leaves. 

These  trees  would  look  dead  if  it  were  not  for 
the  green  mistletoe. 

Perhaps  this  is  the  reason  that  it  is  used  at 
Christmas. 


And  here  is  a  pine. 

They  have  the  longest  needles  of  all. 


88  DECEMBER 

THE  FIR  TREE 
wood  cutters       autumn      slender      scarcely 

In  the  forest  stood  a  pretty  fir. 

She  was  not  alone. 

Pines  and  other  firs  grew  around  her. 

So  she  had  plenty  of  friends,  and  sunshine, 
and  air. 

But  she  was  not  happy. 

She  wanted  to  be  taller. 

In  the  autumn  each  year  the  wood  cutters 
came  to  cut  a  few  of  the  largest  trees. 

They  cut  off  their  branches. 

This  made  them  look  long  and  slender. 

The  fir  tree  scarcely  knew  them. 

Then  she  trembled  lest  she  should  be  cut  down 
too. 

But  she  kept  asking  herself :  — 

"  Where  are  they  going  ? 

"  What  will  happen  to  them  ?  " 

swallows       storks       masts 

In  the  spring  the  fir  tree  asked  the  swallows 
and  storks :  — 


THE   FIR   TREE  89 

"  Did  you  not  meet  the  trees  that  were  taken 
from  the  woods? 

"  Do  you  not  know  where  they  are  ?" 

The  stork  said  :  — 

"  Yes,  I  think  so. 

"  As  I  flew  back  from  the  south,  I  met  many 
new  ships. 

66  These  ships  had  tall  masts. 

"They  smelt  like  fir. 

"And  I  am  sure  those  were  the  trees." 

"Oh,"  said  the  fir,  "  if  I  were  only  big  enough 
to  go  over  the  sea  !  " 

The  wind  kissed  the  little  fir  tree. 

The  dew  shed  tears  upon  her. 

But  the  poor  little  fir  tree  did  not  understand. 

candles       fastened       garret 

At  last  it  was  Christmas. 

The  wood  cutters  came  to  the  woods  again. 

This  time  they  cut  down  the  younger  trees. 

They  did  not  cut  off  the  branches. 

The  little  fir  tree  was  carried  away  with  the 
others. 

And  just  what  some  sparrows  had  told  her 
came  true. 


90  DECEMBER 

Bags  of  candy  were  hung  on  her  branches. 

Golden  apples  and  nuts  hung  down  as  if  they 
grew  there. 

Dolls  and  toys  were  on  the  tree. 

A  hundred  candles  were  fastened  to  her 
branches. 

"  This  is  splendid/'  thought  the  little  fir  tree. 

But  some  of  the  pretty  things  were  taken 
from  her. 

They  were  given  to  the  happy  children. 

At  last  the  candles  were  put  out. 

The  people  went  to  bed,  leaving  the  poor 
little  tree  all  alone. 

In  the  morning  she  was  carried  to  the  garret. 

beginning      servant      chopped      underneath 

Days  and  nights  went  by. 

Nobody  came  to  see  the  fir. 

She  was  very  unhappy. 

But  at  last  the  tree  was  brought  to  the  light 
again. 

jiNow  life  is  beginning  again,"  said  the  fir 
tree. 

She  felt  the  fresh  air  and  the  sunbeams. 

She  saw  again  the  lovely  flowers. 


THE   FIR   TREE  91 

Two  children  were  playing  in  the  yard. 

When  one  of  them  saw  the  tree,  she  said :  — 

"  Oh,  look  at  that  old  fir  tree  !  " 

The  tree  looked  at  the  flowers. 

Then  she  looked  at  herself. 

How  she  wished  that  she  had  stayed  in  the 
forest ! 

Soon  a  servant  chopped  the  little  tree  into 
pieces. 

They  made  a  bright  blaze  underneath  the  tea- 
kettle. 

And  at  last  the  tree  was  all  burned  up  ! 

—  Adapted  from  HANS  ANDERSEN. 


"  Over  the  river  and  through  the  wood 
To  grandfather's  house  we  go. 

The  horse  knows  the  way 

To  carry  the  sleigh 
Through  the  white  and  drifted  snow." 


92 


meadow 


DECEMBER 


DAISIES 


dreaming      picked 
dropped 

•At  evening,  when  I  go 

to  bed, 
I  see  the  stars   shine 

overhead. 
They    are    the     little 

daisies  white 
That  dot  the  meadows 

of  the  night. 


And  often,  while  I'm  dream- 
ing so, 

Across  the  sky  the  moon 
will  go. 

She  is  a  lady,  sweet  and  fair, 

Who-  comes  to  gather  dai- 
sies there. 


For  when,  in  the  morning,  I  arise, 
There's  not  a  star  left  in  the  skies. 
She's  picked  them  all  and  dropped 

them  down 
Into  the  meadows  of  the  town. 

—  FRANK  DEMPSTER  "SHERMAN. 


THE   STARS  93 

THE  STARS 
midnight       usually       impossible        happily 

Up  in  Greenland  there  is  but  one  day  and 
but  one  night  in  the  whole  year. 

The  short  day  is  summer. 

The  long  night  is  winter. 

When  it  is  midnight  here  it  is  usually  very 
dark. 

But  in  Greenland,  in  summer,  the  sun  shines 
at  midnight. 

All  day  and  all  night  he  shines,  for  many 
weeks. 

This  does  not  seem  at  all  strange  to  the  little 
Eskimo  children. 

They  have  never  known  anything  else. 

They  would  think  it  very  strange  to  see  a 
moon  and  stars  that  shone  only  at  night. 

And  a  sun  that  hid  itself  at  night,  even  in 
summer,  —  "  Oh,  that  is  impossible !  "  they 
would  say. 

We  know  that  the  silver  moonlight  is  only 
sunlight,  after  all. 

But  what  is  true  about  the  stars  ? 

Can  you  believe  some  of  the  stars  are  suns  ? 


94  DECEMBER 

Other  stars  move  around  them,  just  as  our 
earth  moves  around  the  sun. 

Suppose  that  you  were  living  on  one  of  these 
other  earth  stars. 

Suppose  that  it  was  a  clear,  clear  night. 

Could  you  see  our  earth  ? 

Perhaps,  if  you  were  not  too  far  off. 

But  even  then  it  would  only  be  a  tiny,  tiny 
star. 

Some  of  our  largest  and  brightest  stars  are 
earth  stars. 

Perhaps  people  and  other  animals,  and  plants 
even,  live  happily  on  them. 


*  #  Pole  Star 


Little  Dipper 


*  * 
* 


* 

* 


Great  Dipper 


NORTHWEST   WIND  95 

NORTHWEST  WIND 
swallows       squirrel       chimney       coal  bins 

Winter  is  here  at  last ! 

The  trees  are  bare. 

Most  of  the  birds  have  left  us. 

There  are  no  flowers  to  be  found. 

Jack  Frost  has  come. 

And  the  Northwest  Wind  is  here  to  stay ! 

He  says :  — 

"  Run  away,  winds  of  the  south  and  west. 

"  Go  where  the  swallows  are,  south  wind. 

"  Follow  the  sunset,  west  wind. 

"  These  are  my  months." 

So  he  runs  after  his  brothers  over  the  lakes. 

He  rolls  up  the  waves,  and  gives  them  white 
caps  to  wear. 

"  Are  you  strong  ?  "  he  cries  to  the  trees. 

"  How  thick  is  your  wool  ?  "  he  says  to  the 
sheep. 

"Have  you  found  your  winter  nest?"  he  says 
to  the  squirrel. 

He  slams  the  door. 

He  shakes  the  window. 


96 


DECEMBER 


He   howls  down   the    chimney :    "  Are   your 
coal  bins  full  ?  " 

To  everybody  he  has  said :  — 

"  Get  ready,  for  winter  is  coming ! 

"  Are  you  ready  ?  for  winter  is  here/' 


JACK  FROST 
loveliest       canvas       painted       destroys 

Jack  Frost  likes  best  to  work  at  night. 

Then  he  paints 
his  loveliest  pict- 
ures. 

His  canvas  is  a 
pane  of  glass. 

His  paint  is  al- 
ways white. 

But  he  draws  so 
well  that  the  color 
does  not  matter. 

Look     at    this 
picture  that  he  painted  for  me  last  night. 
This  is  the  grass,  and  here  are  the  trees. 
It  looks  like  winter. 


TINY  LITTLE   SNOWFLAKES 

But  there  are  birds  in  the  sky. 

All  of  the  people  are  dressed  in  finest  lace. 

Perhaps  they  are  going  to  the  church. 

Quick !     Here  is  the  sun. 

He  does  not  like  Jack  Frost. 

He  destroys  his  pictures. 


TINY  LITTLE  SNOWFLAKES 

angles          floating          whirling  dancing 

kissing     loading     powdering     cunning 

Tiny  little  snowflakes 
In  the  air  so  high, 
Are  you  little  angels 
Floating  in  the  sky  ? 

Whirling  on  the  sidewalk, 
Dancing  in  the  street, 
Kissing  all  the  faces 
Of  the  children  sweet, 

Loading  all  the  housetops, 
Powdering  all  the  trees  — 
Cunning  little  snowflakes, 
Little  busy  bees. 

—  LUCY  LARCOM. 


98 


DECEMBER 


SNOWFLAKES 
whenever       frightened        comfort        noticed 


\ 


Who  makes 
the  snowflakes  ? 
Why,      Jack 
Frost,     to     be 
sure. 

He     changes 
water  to  ice  wherever 
he  goes. 

When   he   touches   a   raindrop 
it  freezes  into  ice. 

Then  it  falls  to  the  earth. 
We  do  not  call  it  a  raindrop,  then. 
We  call  it  hail. 

But  sometimes  Jack  Frost  gets  hold  of  the 
clouds  before  the  raindrops  are  born. 


JACK   FROST  99 

Then  he  freezes  the  water,  too. 

He  makes  long,  thin  needles. 

Perhaps  the  little  ice  needles  are  frightened 
at  the  change. 

Perhaps  each  tries  to  comfort  the  other. 

At  any  rate  you  will  always  find  six  of  them 
together. 

All  these  lovely  snowflakes  have  six  parts. 

But  they  all  seem  to  be  of  the  same  size. 

This  is  not  the  case. 

In  what  kind  of  weather  do  we  have  the 
largest  flakes? 

Gather   some  flakes  on  a  black  cloth. 

Then  you  will  see  why  some  flakes  are  larger 
than  others. 


JACK  FROST  AGAIN 
fellow       visits       sparkling       carpet 

Jack  Frost  is  a  queer  little  fellow. 
He  comes  to  us  first  in  the  autumn. 
But  he  only  makes  short  visits. 
He  comes,  too,  only  in  the  night-time. 
But  even  then  he  works  hard. 
What  does  he  do  ? 


100  DECEMBER 

He  helps  to  color  the  leaves. 

Then  he  helps  them  to  fall  from  the  trees. 

If  it  were  not  for  Jack  Frost  they  would  fall 
one  by  one. 

Then  how  lonely  they  would  be ! 

He   helps   to   open   the   chestnut   burrs. 

If  it  were  not  for  Jack  Frost,  Shepherd  Wind 
^ould  not  sow  so  many  seeds. 

When  winter  comes  Jack  Frost  makes  longer 
visits. 

In  many  places  he  stays  all  winter  long. 

Then,  of  course,  he  does  more  work. 

He  covers  the  fields  with  a  sparkling  carpet. 

He  puts  a  glass  roof  over  the  brooks. 

He  makes  slides  for  the  children. 

But  best  of  all  he  makes  the  snowflakes. 

Why  do  we  say  best  of  all  ? 

Perhaps,  because  from  snow  you  can  make 
fine  snowballs  and  snow  men. 

That  is  great  fun,  but  that  is  not  all. 

The  snow  is  a  warm,  warm  blanket. 

It  covers  the  green  grass  and  tender  plants 

Without  the  snow  we  could  not  have  spring. 


CLOTHES 


101 


winter 


CLOTHES 
feathers       scales 


swimming 


Who  Hkes  cold  weather? 

Suppose  that  you  had  to  wear  your  summer 
clothes  in  winter. 

Then  it  would  not  be  so  fine. 

Other  animals  have  summer  clothes. 

The  trees  have  more  clothes  in  summer  than 
in  winter. 


102  DECEMBER 

That  would  not  suit  us. 
But  then  we  are  not  trees. 

*  #         #         #         #         #         * 

Look  at  the  bird  on  the  other  page. 

See  what  a  fine  dress  she  has. 

How  soft  and  light  it  is ! 

It  will  not  be  too  heavy  to  carry  as  she  flies. 

It  will  help  her  to  fly. 

#  *         *         *         #         #         * 
Now  look  at  the  fish. 

His  dress  is  not  of  feathers. 

They  would  get  wet  and  heavy  in  the  water. 

Dress  a  fish  in 
feathers. 

What  would  be- 
come of  him  ? 
A  fish's  dress  is  made  of  hard,  shiny  scales. 
They  lap  over. 
The  water  cannot  get  in. 
They  are  oiled. 

No  wonder  the  fish  can  slip  easily  through 
the  water. 

His  body  can  bend  easily  in  swimming. 
How  could  he  have  a  better  dress  ? 
And  yet  what  could  a  bird  do  with  a  fish's 
dress  ? 


JANUARY 

Snowballs  showering, 
Snow  men  towering, 
Fingers  tingling, 
Sleigh-bells  jingling, 
Horns  a-tooting, 
That's  our  merry 
January." 

—  From  Youth's  Companion. 


THE  LITTLE  NEW  YEAR 

tripping       shaking       din       blessings 
treasure 

Oh,  I  am  the  little  New  Year,  oh,  ho ! 
Here  I  come  tripping  it  over  the  snow, 
Shaking  my  bells  with  a  merry  din, 
So  open  your  doors  and  let  me  in ! 

Blessings  I  bring  for  each  and  all, 
Big  folks  and  little  folks,  short  and  tall ; 
Each  from  me  a  treasure  may  win, 
So  open  your  doors  and  let  me  in. 

For  I  am  the  little  New  Year,  oh,  ho ! 
Here  T  come  tripping  it  over  the  snow, 
Shaking  my  bells  with  a  merry  din, 
So  open  your  doors  and  let  me  in. 

—  From  Youth's  Companion. 


105 


106  JANUARY 


LINDU,    THE    KEEPER    OF    THE    BIRDS 

finished       hunters       Northern  Light 
jewels 

The  world  was  finished. 

God  made  beautiful  Lindu. 

He  gave  her  charge  of  all  the  birds. 

Sometimes  the  hunters  tried  to  shoot  these 
birds. 

Then  Lindu  sent  a  stormy  wind. 

This  blew  dust  in  their  eyes. 

The  North  Star  wished  to  marry  her. 

But  Lindu  would  not  let  him. 

"  You  always  stay  in  one  place/'  she  said. 

"  I  do  not  love  you." 

Then  the  moon  asked  her  to  marry  him. 

To  him  she  said :  — 

"  You  change  your  face  too  often. 

"  Besides,  you  always  travel  the  same  road." 

She  said  the  same  thing  to  the  sun. 

Then  the  Northern  Light  came  to  her. 

A  thousand  white  horses  drew  his  diamono 
coach. 

His  servants  carried  a  cloak  full  of  jewels, 

Lindu  loved  this  bright  and  changeful  one. 


LINDU 


107 


She  promised  to  marry 
him  when  the  swallows 
flew  south. 

A  mountain  stream 
sent  her  a  bridal  veil. 

The    Frost    King 
sent  her  laces. 

They    were    very 
beautiful  and  fine. 

A    breath    of    sum- 
mer   air    would    de- 
stroy them. 

The  birds — her  own 
dear  birds  —  brought 
her  velvet  dresses  of 

Her  sandals  were  from  bees'  wings. 

Spring  passed  away. 

Summer  came  and  went. 

The  swallows  flew  south. 

But   the   Northern   Light   did   not   come 
Lindu. 

But  still  she  loved  him,  —  not  the  north  star, 
nor  the  sun,  nor  the  moon. 


butterflies*  wings. 


to 


108  JANUARY 

THE  MILKY  WAY 

strange       stolen       beloved       unkindness 
changeful 

Poor  Lindu  wept. 

From  her  tears  sprang  the  little  brooks. 

The  birds  tried  to  comfort  her. 

Then  they  flew  away. 

They  built  their  nests  in  all  kinds  of  strange 
places. 

Many  an  egg  was  lost. 

Many  a  baby  bird  was  stolen. 

And  all  because  Lindu  did  not  help  the  birds. 

Then  the  winds  took  pity  on  Lindu. 

They  lifted  her  gently  from  the  ground. 

They  carried  her  to  the  sky. 

And  there  she  still  lives. 

Her  bridal  veil  spreads  from  one  end  of  the 
sky  to  the  other. 

Lift  your  eyes  to  the  Milky  Way. 

It  is  Lindu  in  her  bridal  dress. 

From  there  she  directs  her  beloved  birds. 

From  there  she  waves  her  white  hand  to  the 
Northern  Light. 

She  has  forgotten  his  unkindness. 


WHITE  LAMBKINS  109 

She  is  always  beautiful  and  always  young. 
And  she  smiles  gently  at  the  changeful  North- 
ern Light. 

—  From  the  Russian. 


WHITE  LAMBKINS 

« 

Who  has  the  whitest  lambkins  ? 

Look  up  into  the  sky. 
It  is  the  moon,  the  pretty  moon, 

Whose  home  is  up  on  high. 

She  rises  in  the  evening, 
When  little  children  sleep; 

Comes  from  her  little  cottage 
And  calls  her  little  sheep. 

She  calls  them  out  to  pasture 

Upon  her  meadows  gay ; 
The  stars  are  her  white  lambkins, 

They're  never  seen  by  day.1 

—  From  the  German. 


1  From  Kindergarten  Chimes.     By  permission  of  Messrs.  The 
Oliver  Ditson  Company. 


110 


JANUARY 


THE  WOODPECKER 

tool       chisel       hammer       woodpecker 
grub       tongue 

Some  birds  are  carpen- 
ters. 

They  make  the  strong- 
est homes  of  all  the  birds. 
But  instead  of  build- 
ing it,  they  bore  it  out. 
They  have  only  one 
tool. 

This  is  both  a  chisel 
and  a  hammer. 

They  carry  it  always 
with  them. 

Look  at  this  carpenter. 
His  name  is  Mr.  Wood- 
pecker. 


But  where  is  his  chisel  ? 
Yes,  it  is  his  beak. 
They  find  a  so^place 
in  a  tree  trunk. 


THE   CROW'S   CHILDREN  111 

And  with  their  chisel  beak,  they  chip  away 
the  soft  wood. 

But  where  is  the  hammer,  you  say. 

The  hammer  is  the  bird's  head. 

With  this  he  drives  the  chisel. 

His  beak  helps  him  to  get  his  dinner,  too. 

He  hammers  and  pecks  at  the  bark. 

At  last  he  finds  a  grub. 

Poor  little  grub ! 

He  thought  that  he  had  found  a  safe  winter 
home. 

Mr.   Woodpecker  darts  out   his   tongue. 

And  that  is  the  end  of  the  grub. 


THE  CROW'S  CHILDREN 

carrying       answered       worry       astonished 
parent 

A  farmer  was  going  about  the  field  carrying 
a  gun. 

On  a  tree  near  by  sat  a  black,  black  crow. 

"  Caw  !  caw  !  caw  !  "  said  the  crow. 

"  What  do  you  want  ?  "  answered  the  farmer. 


112  JANUARY 

"  You  must  not  kill  my  children,"  said  the 
crow. 

The  farmer  answered  :  — 

"  I  shall  only  kill  the  birds  that  eat  my 
crops. 

"  If  your  children  have  done  so,  I  shall  cer- 
tainly kill  them." 

"  Oh,  my  children  are  the  best  in  the  world. 

"Not  one  of   them  would  steal   corn." 

"  But  how  shall  I  know  which  they  are  ? " 
asked  the  farmer. 

"  Do  they  look  like  you  ?  " 

"Oh,  no,  they  are  pretty,  and  very  white," 
answered  the  crow. 

The  farmer  went  off. 

All  day  long  his  gun  was  heard  in  the  field. 

But  the  old  crow  did  not  worry. 

At  night  the  farmer  came  back. 

A  string  of  crows  hung  down  his  back. 

"  Alas,"  said  the  crow,  "  what  have  you  done  ? 

"  You  promised  to  spare  my  pretty  birds. 

"  But  you  have  killed  every  one  of  them." 

The  farmer  was  astonished. 

"  Why,  I  found  them  in  the  corn,"  he  said. 

"  Besides  they  are  black  and  ugly. 

"  How  can  they  be  your  children  ?  " 


.THE   CROW  113 

The  crow  was  very  angry. 
"Get  away,"  she  said. 

"  No  one  but  a  parent  knows  how  good  and 
beautiful  are  her  children." 
"  I  see,"  said  the  farmer. 


THE  CROW 
scarecrow       speckled 


Look  at  this  Crow. 

He  is  with  us  summer 
and  winter. 

I  wonder  what 
he  finds  to 
eat. 


Let  us  look  at  his  beak. 
Perhaps  that  will  tell  us. 
It  is  strong  enough  to  eat  corn. 
Besides,  farmers  put  scarecrows  in  their  corn- 
fields. 


114  JANUARY 

The  English  sparrow  eats  corn,  too. 

Look  at  his  beak. 

The  crow  eats  something  besides  corn. 

His  beak  is  so  long. 

And  do  you  see  the  little  hook  at  the  end  ? 

The  farmers  tell  us  that  he  eats  young  birds. 

He  sonietimes  eats  insects  and  field-mice. 

At  any  rate,  he  finds  plenty  to  eat  summer 
and  winter. 

But  it  is  only  in  the  spring  that  he  builds 
a  nest. 

It  is  very  large. 

It  is  built  on  sticks  of  red  cedar-bark. 

And  in  it  Mrs.  Crow  lays  her  strong  speckled 
green  eggs. 

Caw!  Caw!  Caw! 
Over  in  the  meadow, 

In  a  nest  built  of  sticks 
Lived  a  black  mother-crow 
And  her  little  crows  six. 
"  Caw,"  said  the  mother, 
"  We  caw,"  said  the  six ; 
So  they  cawed  and  they  called 
In  their  nests  built  of  sticks. 

—  OLIVE  A.  WADSWORTH. 


THE   CAT 


115 


THE  CAT 
thicker       whiskers       windows       stretch 

Many  other  animals  stay  with  us  all  the  year. 

First  there  is  the  cat. 

Who  ever  heard  of  a  cat  hiding  in  the  ground 
just  because  it  was  cold  ?     ^ 

Who   ever   heard   of   a 
cat  going  south  ? 

But  it  does  get  a  little 
thicker  fur. 

Rub  the  cat's  back. 

Do  you  feel  some- 
thing hard  ? 

That   is   the    cat's 
backbone. 

She  has  two  eyes, 
a  nose,  two  ears,  and  a  mouth. 

Then  there  are  the  whiskers. 

You  have  not  got  whiskers  yet ! 

What  fine  eyes  she  has  ! 

She  can  see  with  them  at  night  even. 

The  black  windows  in  her  eyes  can  stretch. 

So  her  eyes  get  a  great  deal  of  light. 


116 


JANUARY 


They  get  enough  to  see  even  in  the  dark. 
And  then  her  tongue  ! 

It  is  a  tongue,  a  spoon,  and  a  comb,  —  alJ  in 
one. 

She  uses  her  paws  for  combs  sometimes. 

If  she  sees  a 
mouse,  in  a  moment 
her  paw  is  like 
this. 


When  she  wants  to 
walk  softly,  her  paws 
are  like  this. 

As  a  little  girl  said 
once  :  — 

"  Oh,  pussy  has  pins  on  her  feet !  " 


A  KITTEN  RHYME 

See  my  kitty, 
Little  Dot. 

Very  pretty, 
Is  she  not? 


A   KITTEN   RHYME  117 

Soft  and  silky 

Is  her  fur. 
If  you  stroke  it 

She  will  purr. 

Often  when  my 

Grandma  knits, 
Close  beside  her 

Kitty  sits. 

Watching,  watching 

Grandma's  ball, 
Wishing  she  would 

Let  it  fall. 

When  it  does  drop 

Oh!  the  fun! 
You  should  see 

How  Dot  can  run! 

Dot  has  never 

Caught  a  rat. 
She's  too  little 

Yet  for  that. 

She  is  only 

Good  at  play, 
But  she'll  catch 

The  rats  some  day. 

—  EMILIE  POULSSON. 


118 


JANUARY 


THE  HORSE 
forehead       direction       blinders       reader 

A  fish,  a  bird,  a  cat,  and  a  boy  all  look  some- 
thing alike. 

They  all  have  two  eyes  and  two  ears. 

Each  has  a  nose, 
a  mouth,  a  backbone, 
two  arms,  and  two 


legs. 

But  the  boy's  fore- 
head and  chin  stand 
out  more. 

In  other    animals 
the  mouth  stands  out  more. 

Here  is  an  animal  with  more 
mouth  than  forehead. 

We  all  know  him  and  love 
him,  too. 
Look  at  his  head. 
He  uses  his  lips  for  feelers. 
You  remember  the  cat  has  whiskers  for  this. 
With  his  eyes  he  can  see  in  any  direction. 
That  is  why  we  put  blinders  on  him. 
Did  you  ever  see  such  big  finger  nails  ? 


THE  COW  119 

Have  you  ever  seen  any  wild  horses  ? 

They  are  very  wise,  too. 

They  live  in  herds  together. 

The  biggest  and  strongest  of  them  is  the 
leader. 

They  do  exactly  what  he  tells  them. 

They  travel  with  the  colt  and  weak  horses 
in  the  middle. 

Outside  of  these  are  the  big  strong  horses. 


THE  COW 

vegetables       bran  mash       pasture       camels 
reindeer       peculiar 

All  winter  the  cow  has  been  eating  hay. 

The  farmer  has  given  her  some  salt,  too. 

Often  she  has  eaten  vegetables  and  bran  mash 

And  this  food  has  made  the  milk. 

Think  what  nice  milk  it  will  be  in  the  spring, 

Then  the  cow  goes  to  pasture. 

Quickly  she  bites  off  the  grass  and  clover. 

She  eats  it  too  fast  to  chew  it. 

So  she  packs  it  away  in  a  big  bag. 

This  she  keeps  inside  of  her  large  body. 


120 


JANUARY 


Later  in  the  day  she  sits  down  to  rest. 
Then  what  she  has  eaten  comes  up  in  her 
mouth. 

Only  a  little  ball  comes  up  at  a  time. 
This  she  chews,  and  chews,  and  chews. 

This    is    what    is    called 
"  chewing  the  cud." 

Sheep    and   reindeer   and 
camels  all  do  the  same  thing. 
These    all    have    peculiar 
feet. 

Look  at  the  cow's  hoofs. 
See  if  you  can  tell  me  some- 
thing about  them. 

Does  a  horse  chew  his  cud  ? 
Why  do  you  think  so  ? 


THE  COW  AGAIN 

Perhaps  the  nicest  thing  that  the  cow  gives  us 
is  milk. 

But  it  is  not  the  only  thing. 

Think  of  all  that  is  made  from  milk. 

I  do  not  mean  junkets  and  other  nice  desserts, 

I  mean  butter  and  cheese. 


THE   JANUAKY   THAW  121 

It  would  be  hard  to  find  a  part  of  the  cow 
that  is  not  useful. 

From  her  horns  are  made  buttons  and  combs. 

Her  hair  is  mixed  with  mortar  for  plaster. 

Her  skin  gives  us  shoes. 

Glue  is  made  from  her  hoofs. 

Tallow  candles  and  beef  come  from  her  fat 
and  flesh. 

And  the  farmer  even  uses  her  bones. 

He  burns  them. 

Then  he  spreads  them  over  the  ground. 

They  make  the  soil  much  richer. 

Do  you  wonder  that  the  farmer  takes  such 
good  care  of  his  cows? 


THE  JANUARY  THAW 
crystal       trickle       vain       admired       angry 

One  year  the  winter  was  very,  very  cold. 

The  Ice  on  the  pond  grew  thick  and  strong. 

He  was  beautiful  and  smooth. 

He  thought  himself  a  crystal  floor. 

And  so  he  looked  down  upon  the  water  below. 

One  day  he  said  :  — 


122  JANUARY 

"  I  wish  that  you  would  go  some  other  way. 

"  I  do  not  like  to  hear  your  trickle,  trickle." 

"But  I  wish,"  said  the  water,  "that  you 
would  give  me  more  room.  I  —  I  - 

His  voice  got  thinner  and  thinner. 

Jack  Frost  was  making  the  Ice  thicker  and 
thicker  all  the  time. 

One  day  the  skaters  came. 

They  all  said :  — 

"  What  lovely  Ice  !  " 

And  the  Ice  grew  more  vain. 

In  the  evening  the  snowflakes  came. 

They  said  to  themselves :  — 

"  How  we  shall  be  admired  in  the  morning !  " 

In  the  morning  the  Ice  was  very  angry. 

For  the  snowflakes  covered  him  up. 

quarrel       angrily       poured 

"  Who  sent  you  ?  "  the  Ice  asked  the  snow- 
flakes. 

"Nobody,"  answered  they. 

"  The  clouds  were  too  heavy  to  carry  us. 

"  So  some  of  us  came  down. 

"  You  should  be  glad  to  see  us. 

"  The  wind  and  the  skies  all  love  us." 


THE  JANUARY  THAW  123 

"  If  they  love  you  let  them  take  you  away," 
said  the  Ice,  angrily. 

Then  the  water  began  to  quarrel  with  them 
both. 

Were  there  ever  three  such  silly  people  as  Ice, 
Water,  and  Snow. 

I  wish  that  I  could  say  no ! 

At  last  the  wind  changed  to  the  south. 

And  the  thaw  came. 

The  Ice  grew  thinner  and  thinner. 

Then  the  water  poured  over  it. 

The  snow  heaps  fell  in. 

They  all  rolled  about  together. 

They  cried :  — 

"  What  have  we  been  doing  ? 

"Friends,  dear  friends,  we  are  all  of  us 
brothers  together." 

And  they  hugged  each  other  closely. 

No  one  could  say :  — 

"This  was  Ice. 

"  Or  this  was  Snow. 

"  Or  this  was  never  anything  but  Water." 

And  so  it  is  to  this  day. 

— Adapted  from  MRS.  GATTY, 


124  JANUARY 

FIVE  PEAS   IN  A  POD 

watered       forever       earthquake 

Once  there  were  five  peas  growing  in  a  pod. 

The  peas  were  green. 

The  vine  was  green. 

The  leaves  were  green. 

So  the  five  peas  thought  that  all  the  world 
was  green. 

The  warm  sun  shone  on  the  vine. 

The  summer  rain  watered  it. 

Both  the  pod  and  the  peas  grew  bigger  and 
bigger. 

"  Are  we  to  lie  here  forever  ?  "  said  one. 

"  I  am  tired  of  it,"  said  another. 

"  I  am  afraid  that  we  shall  become  hard/'  said 
the  third. 

"  I  want  to  see  what  there  is  outside/'  said  a 
fourth. 

The  fifth  cried  because  he  could  not  get 
out. 

At  last  the  vine  turned  yellow. 

The  pod  turned  yellow. 

The  peas  turned  yellow. 


FIVE   PEAS   IN   A  POD  125 

"  All  the  world  is  turning  yellow,"  said 
the  peas  with  one  voice. 

Then  there  came  an  earthquake,     .^fjij^i  0& 

The  pod  burst  open  with  a 
crack. 

All  five  peas  rolled  into  the 
yellow  sunshine. 


caught     pea-shooter     sprouted 
famously 

A  boy  caught  all  the  five  peas.  A 

He  put  the  biggest  one  in  his  pea-shooter. 

Then  he  shot  it  out. 

"  Catch  me  if  you  can,"  said  the  big  pea. 

"  I  shall  fly  straight  into  the  sun/'  said  the 
next  one. 

"I  shall  travel  farthest/'  said  the  third 
pea. 

"  Let  me  alone/'  said  the  fourth. 

"  What  is  to  be,  will  be,"  said  the  fifth  pea. 

He  landed  in  an  empty  flower-pot. 

This  flower-pot  was  in  the  window  of  a  sick 
girl's  room. 

The  pea  sprouted. 

It  grew  into  a  beautiful  vine. 


126 


JANUARY 


FIVE   PEAS  IN  A  POD  127 

"  Dear  mother,  I  think  that  I  shall  get  well," 
sajd  the  little  girl  one  day. 

"  For  my  pea  is  growing  famously." 

"I  hope  so,"  said  the  mother. 

She  put  a  stick  into  the  pot. 

This  was  so  that  the  vine  might  cling  to  it. 

After  many  days  there  was  a  beautiful  pea 
blossom. 

It  smiled  in  the  sunshine. 

The  little  girl  kissed  it  softly,  and  said :  - 

"Now  I  am  sure  that  I  am  going  to  get 
well." 

—  Adapted  from  HANS  CHRISTIAN  ANDERSEN. 


FEBRUARY 

And  this  is  February ! 

He  is  the  last  and  shortest  of  winter  children. 

He  is  the  baby  of  the  year. 

I  think  his  mother  must  like  him. 

For  every  four  years  she  gives  him  an  extra  day 

No  other  months  have  extra  days. 

But  then  in  no  other  month  was  born 

GEORGE  WASHINGTON, 
ABRAHAM  LINCOLN, 

and 
ST.  VALENTINE. 


THE  NORTH   WIND 

The  North  Wind  doth  blow, 

And  we  shall  have  snow, 

And  what  will  the  robin  do  then,  poor  thing  ? 

He'll  sit  in  a  barn, 

And  keep  himself  warm, 

And  hide  his  head  under  his  wing,  poor  thing. 

The  North  Wind  doth  blow, 
And  we  shall  have  snow, 

And  what  will  the  swallow  do  then,  poor  thing  ? 
Oh  do  you  not  know, 
He  has  gone  long  ago, 

To   a   country   much   warmer  than   ours,  poor 
thing  ? 

The  North  Wind  doth  blow, 

And  we  shall  have  snow, 

And  what  will  the  dormouse  do  then,  poor  thing  ? 

Rolled  up  like  a  ball, 

In  his  nest  snug  and  small, 

He'll  sleep  till  warm  weather  comes  back,  poor 

thing.  _  old  Song. 

131 


132  FEBRUARY 

ABRAHAM  LINCOLN 

BORN  FEBRUARY  12,  1809 

birthday       birthplace       plough       threshed 
President       thoroughly       respect 

To-day  was  Abraham  Lincoln's  birthday. 
Here  is  a  picture  of  his  birthplace. 


It  was  a  poor  cabin,  with  only  one  room= 

There  were  no  windows. 

And  there  was  only  one  door. 

His  bed  was  a  pile  of  dry  leaves. 

His  trousers  were  of  deer  skin. 

His  hat  was  a  coon  skin. 

But  he  could  do  a  great  deal  of  work. 

He  could  drive  a  team  of  horses. 

He  could  handle  a  plough. 


ABRAHAM   LINCOLN 


133 


He  threshed  wheat  and  chopped  wood. 

He  carried  water,  made  the  fire,  and  tended 
the  baby. 

When  he  grew  up  he  split  rails  for  fences. 

He  earned  his  living  in  many  other  ways  too. 

At  last  he  became  President  of  the  United 
States. 

He  did  this  work  just  as  thoroughly  as  he  had 
done  everything  else. 

This  is  why  we  all  love  and  respect  him. 


134 


FEBRUARY 


GEORGE  WASHINGTON 

BORN  FEBRUARY  22,  1732 

plantation       Virginia       wrestler       gourds 
obedient       boisterous 

To-morrow  will  be  Washington's  birthday. 
He   was   the   first   President   of   the   United 

States. 


GEORGE  WASHINGTON  135 

Would  you  like  to  hear  what  he  was  like  as  a 
little  boy? 

He  was  not  poor  like  Lincoln. 

He  lived  on  a  large  plantation  in  Virginia. 

He  could  ride  a  horse  when  he  was  nine  years 
old. 

He  could  swim  and  row. 

He  was  the  fastest  runner  of  all  the  boys. 

He  was  also  the  best  wrestler. 

At  school  they  used  to  play  soldier. 

They  had  cornstalks  for  swords. 

Their  drums  were  gourds. 

Washington's  side  always  won. 

He  never  did  an  underhand  thing. 

He  hated  a  lie. 

He  kept  his  promises. 

He  was  obedient. 

But  he  was  fond  of  fun. 

He  was  as  boisterous  and  boyish  as  you. 


136 


FEBRUARY 


OUR  WINTER  VISITORS 

visitors        chickadee        tinkling        carpenter 
saucy 

Here  is  a  bird   that  comes  to  us  from  the 
north. 

He  stays  with  us  all  win- 
ter. 

He  looks  like  the  spar- 
row. 

But  the  two  long  out- 
side    tail     feathers     are 

white. 

He  is  very  fond  of  dog 
kennels. 

Like  the  sparrow,  he  is 
not  afraid  of  us. 

Even  on  the  coldest  day 
of  winter  you  may  hear  his 
silver  tinkling :  — 

Chick-a-dee-dee, 
Chickadee-dee. 


He  is  a  little  fellow  to  be  a  carpenter. 


OUR   WINTER  VISITORS 


137 


But  his  little  beak  is  very  strong. 

He  sometimes  cuts  his  nest  out  of  hard  wood. 

This  is  Jenny  Wren. 

It  is  her  cousin,  the  Win- 
ter Wren,  whom  you  saw  in 
the  snow  yesterday. 

They  look  very  much  alike, 
with  their  saucy  tails. 

Jenny  goes  south  for  the 
winter. 


ly        But  Winter   Wren 
comes  to  us  from  the 


Look  at  his  beak. 

Do  you  think  that 
he  could  break  corn 
with  it  ? 

No;    and    he    will 
not  touch  a  crumb. 
But  flies  and  worms  —  these  he  loves. 


138  FEBRUARY 

roast      kitchen      melting      boilers      machin- 
ery      locomotives 

"  Simple  Simon  made  a  snowball 

And  brought  it  in  to  roast. 
He  put  it  on  the  kitchen  fire 
And  soon  the  ball  was  lost." 

Have  you  ever  seen  the  snow  melting  away 
out  of  doors  ? 

What  made  it  melt  ? 

The  Fairy  Heat. 

She  has  many  homes. 

The  sun  is  one  of  them. 

The  stove  is  another. 

See  what  Fairy  Heat  is  doing  to  this  water'. 


A   GRAIN   OF   WHEAT  139 

She  is  making  the  clouds. 

These  clouds  are  made  of  tiny,  tiny  water 
drops. 

We  might  call  them  water  dust. 

How  light  they  are ! 

But  steam  is  really  very  strong. 

He  is  a  giant. 

Men  shut  him  up  in  boilers. 

They  give  him  only  a  little  hole.  Through 
this  he  escapes. 

He  pushes  against  machinery  in  escaping. 

In  this  way  Giant  Steam  runs  steamboats  and 
locomotives. 

He  runs  mills,  too. 

He  does  many  other  kinds  of  work. 


THE  STORY  OF  A  GRAIN  OF  WHEAT 

CHAPTER  I 
nothing  •    questions       playing 

A   little    grain    of   wheat   lived   with   many 
other  grains  in   a  sack. 
It  was  very  dark. 


140  FEBRUARY 

No  one  could  move  about  in  the  sack. 

So  there  was  nothing  to  do  but  to  sit  still  and 
talk. 

This  little  grain  talked  a  great  deal. 

But  she  did  not  think  very  much. 

But  the  grain  next  to  it  thought  a  great  deal. 

He  only  spoke  when  he  was  asked  questions. 

So  we  will  call  him  the  wise  little  grain  of 
wheat. 

One  day  two  boys  were  playing  near  the  sack. 

A  lady  brought  them  something  on  a  plate. 

"  It's  cake !  It's  cake !  Nice  mamma  for 
bringing  us  cake,"  they  said. 

Then  they  began  to  eat  it  and  ask  questions : — • 

"  Who  made  the  cake  ?  " 

"  The  cook." 

"  Who  made  the  cook? " 

"  God." 

"  What  did  He  make  her  for  ?  " 

"  Why  didn't  He  make  her  white  ?  " 

"  Why  didn't  He  make  you  black  ?  " 

"  What  is  the  cake  made  of  ?  " 

"  Flour,  sugar,  eggs,  and  butter." 

"What  is  flour  made  of?" 

"  Of  wheat." 

The  wise  little  grain  of  wheat  was  frightened. 


A   GRAIN   OF   WHEAT  141 

But  our  little  grain  wanted  to  get  out  of  the 
sack. 

She  did  not  care  what  happened. 

CHAPTER  II 
something       common       minded 

After  this  something  happened. 
A  man  and  boy  moved  the  sack  from  its  place. 
All  the  little  grains  woke  from  their  long  nap. 
"  What  is  the  matter  ?  "  said  our  little  grain. 
"  Hush  !  "  said  the  wise  little  grain. 
"  I  think  that  we  are  going  to  be  sown." 
"  What  is  sown  ?" 
"It  is  being  thrown  into  the  earth." 
"  Into  the  earth  ?  "  cried  our  little  grain. 
"  Into  the  common  earth  ?  " 
"  The  earth  is  nothing  but  dirt !  " 
"  I  won't  be  sown  ! 
*'  I  would  rather  stay  in  the  sack." 
But  just   then   she  was   carried   off   by  the 
farmer. 

The  farmer  could  not  hear  her  voice  at  all. 
He  would  not  have  minded  if  he  had. 
He  knew  that  she  was  only  a  grain  of  wheat. 
He  knew  that  she  ought  to  be  sown. 


142 


FEBRUARY 


CHAPTER  III 
ploughed       farmer       thought 

The  wheat  was  carried  into  a  large  field. 
It  had  just  been  ploughed. 

So  the  air  was 
full  of  the  smell  of 
fresh  earth. 

The  sky  was  a 
deep,  deep  blue. 

But  the  air  was 
cool. 

There    were    no 
leaves  on  the  trees. 
The   farmer   put 
his      great     brown 
hand  into  the  bag. 
He  threw  the  lit- 
tle grain  of  wheat  fai  from  him. 

Our  little  grain  found  herself  in  the  shadow 
of  a  large  warm  clod  of  earth. 

At  first  she  thought  that  she  was  all  alone. 
Then  she  heard  a  voice  from  the  other  side 
of  the  clod. 

It  was  the  wise  little  grain  of  wheat. 


A    GRAIN  OF    WHEAT  143 

He  said :  — 

"  We  are  all  right  so  far. 

"  Perhaps  when  they  cover  us  with  earth  we 
shall  still  be  near." 

"  Do  you  mean  to  say  that  they  will  cover  us 
with  earth?" 

"  Yes,"  said  the  wise  little  grain. 

"  And  there  we  shall  lie  in  the  dark. 

"  Then  the  rain  will  moisten  us. 

"  And  the  sun  will  warm  us. 

"  We  shall  grow  larger  and  larger. 

"  And  at  last  we  shall  burst  open. 

"  Speak  for  yourself,"  said  our  little  grain. 

"I  shall  do  nothing  of  the  kind." 


CHAPTER   IV 
covered       awoke         million       together 

Soon  they  were  bpth  covered  with  earth. 
One  morning  our  little  grain  awoke. 
He  found  himself  wet  through  with  rain. 
The  next  day  the  sun  shone. 
The  little  grain  began  to  feel  that  it  would 
have  to  grow  larger. 

For  his  skin  was  already  very  tight. 


144  FEBRUARY 

"  Crack !  Pouf !  I  have  split  all  up  my  right 
side,"  said  our  little  grain  several  days  later. 

"  Crack !  Pouf  !  and  so  have  I,"  said  the  wise 
little  grain. 

"  Now  we  must  push  through  the  earth." 

"Well,  I  shall  be  glad  to  get  into  the  air," 
said  v^r  little  grain. 

So  each  of  them  began  to  push  through  the 
earth. 

The  great  field  was  brown  no  longer. 

It  was  covered  with  a  million  little  fresh 
green  blades. 

They  grew  taller  and  taller  every  day. 

Our  little  blade  grew  faster  than  any  of  the 
others. 

At  last  it  grew  into  a  stalk  with  ever  so 
many  little  grains. 

They  fitted  closely  together. 

They  wore  tight  little  green  covers. 

"  Look  at  me,"  the  stalk  said. 

"  I  am  the  queen  of  the  wheat. 

"I  have  a  crown." 

"  No,"  said  the  wise  little  grain.  "  You  ar« 
now  an  ear  of  wheat." 

Soon  all  the  other  stalks  wore  a  crown. 

As  usual  the  wise  grain  had  told  the  truth. 


A  GRAIN  OF   WHEAT  145 

CHAPTER  V 
color       means       happen       strange 

By  and  bye  the  ears  began  to  turn  yellow. 

"  Yellow  is  the  color  of  gold/'  said  the  little 
grain. 

"  Yes/'  answered  the  wise  grain. 

"  But  that  only  means  that  you  will  soon  be 
ripe. 

"  You  will  soon  be  cut  down. 

"And  then  other  strange  things  will  happen." 

It  was  just  as  the  wise  ear  said  that  it  would 
be. 

The  reaping  machine  came  to  the  field. 

It  cut  down  all  the  ears. 

These  were  then  tied  together. 
.  They  were  carried  in  a  great   wagon  to  the 
barn. 

Then  the  farmer's  wife  and  daughters  began 
to  work  very  hard. 

"The  threshers  are  coming/'  they  said,  "and 
we  must  have  plenty  for  them  to  eat." 

The  threshers  came  with  threshing  machines. 

These  went  Puff  !      Puff  !      Puff  !      Battle  ! 
Rattle  !    all  the  time. 


146  FEBRUARY 

Our  ear  of  wheat  found  itself  grains  of  wheat 
again. 

Only  instead  of  one  grain  it  was  now  many 
grains. 

CHAPTER  VI 
grains       morning       foaming 

All  the  grains  of  wheat  were  put  into  sacks. 
One  morning    ^    some  of    our  little  grains 
heard  the  farmer's  wife 
say:  — 

"  Take  this  sack  to  the 
mill,  Jerry. 

"I  want  to  try  it  for 
cake. 

"  Those  city  boys   are 
very  fond  of  cake." 

So    Jerry    carried   the 
sack  to  the  wagon. 

"  Now  we  are  going  to 
travel,"  said  our  wheat. 
Just  then  it  heard  two  boys  calling  :  — 
"  Jerry,  Jerry,  take  us  with  you.     We  want 
to  go  to  the  mill." 

They  were  the  very  two  boys  who  had  eaten 
the  cake. 


A   GRAIN   OF    WHEAT  147 

At  last  Jerry,  our  wheat,  and  the  boys  saw 
the  mill. 

A  big  wheel  was  turning  slowly  around. 

The  water  was  dashing  and  foaming  over  it. 

"What  turns  the  wheel?"  asked  one  of  the 
boys. 

"  The  water,"  said  Jerry. 

"  What  turns  the  water." 

"  I  don't  know,"  said  Jerry. 

"  What  a  boy  you  are  for  asking  questions  !  " 

Then  he  carried  the  wheat  to  the  miller. 

The  miller  put  it  into  a  hopper. 

It  was  then  crushed  between  two  stones. 

"  Makes  nice  flour,"  said  the  miller,  rubbing  it 
between  his  fingers. 


CHAPTER  VII 
company       daughters       pea-pod 

The  sack  of  flour  was  carried  home. 
The  farmer's  wife  opened  it  and  said  :  — 
"  I  am  going  to  make  this  into  cake." 
Even  in  his  wheat  days  the  flour  had  never 
been  so  proud. 

"  Now,"  it  said,  «  I  shall  be  rich." 


148  FEBRUARY 

The  farmer's  wife  beat  eggs  and  sugar  and 
butter  together  in  a  large  bowl. 

Then  she  beat  in  some  flour,  too. 

"  Now,  I  am  in  grand  company/'  said  the 
flour. 

"  The  eggs  are  the  color  of  gold. 

."  The  sugar  is  like  diamonds. 

"  This  is  the  company  for  me." 

"The  cake  looks  rich,"  said  one  of  the 
daughters. 

"  I  am  rich,  and  I  am  a  cake ! "  said  the 
happy  flour. 

Just  then  a  pair  of  brown  eyes  peeped  into 
the  room. 

"  What  is  that  ? "  asked  one  of  the  boys. 

"Cake." 

"  Who  made  it  ?  " 

« I  did." 

"  I  like  you.  You  are  such  a  nice  woman, 
Who  is  going  to  eat  any  of  it  ?  " 

"  I  am  afraid  it  is  too  rich  for  boys." 

"  No/'  said  the  boy,  "  I  am  afraid  it  isn't." 


A  GRAIN  OF  WHEAT  149 

CHAPTER   VIII 

oven       burned       nervous       trimmed 

It  was  now  put  into  a  pan. 

Then  it  went  into  the  oven. 

It  was  so  hot  in  there  that  it  nearly  burned. 

But  it  was  happy  again  when  it  came  out. 

For  every  one  who  saw  it  said  :  — 

"  Oh,  what  a  nice  cake  !  " 

The  two  boys  came. 

They  looked  at  it  with  open  mouths. 

This  made  the  cake  feel  very  nervous. 

A  chill  ran  over  it. 

It  became  quite  cool. 

At  last  the  farmer's  wife  put  it  away. 

She  trimmed  it  with  leaves  and  put  it  on  the 
supper  table. 

It  felt  very  happy. 

But  when  the  boys  came  it  felt  nervous  again. 

It  almost  fainted  when  one  of  them  said :  — 

«  There's  the  cake  !  " 

Then  some  one  cut  a  slice. 

"Go  away,"  said  the  cake.  "I  am  cake. 
I  am  rich.  I  am  not  for  boys." 

But  no  one  heard  it. 


150  FEBRUARY 

Then  the  cake  saw  a  red  mouth  open. 
It  opened  wide  enough  to  show  two  dreadful 
rows  of  little  sharp,  white  things. 
"  Good  gra  —  "  began  the  cake. 
But  it  never  said  "  cious  "  at  all. 
For  in  a  minute  it  was  eaten. 
And  this  is  the  end  of  the  story. 


STORY   OF  SOME  WATER  DROPS 
flirted       foggy       visit       disappeared 

Did  you  see  the  drops  of  water  on  the  glass  of 
the  aquarium  ? 

The  gold  fish  flirted  them  out  with  her  tail. 

Already  they  have  started  on  their  travels. 

The  warm  air  has  carried  them  away. 

By  and  by  she  will  take  them  out  of  the 
window. 

Then  the  sun  will  carry  them  up  into  the  sky. 

You  cannot  see  this,  of  course. 

For  water  drops  are  too  heavy. 

Even  the  sunbeams  cannot  carry  them. 

So  first  they  were  changed  into  water  dust. 

Do  you  know  what  water  dust  is  ? 


STORY   OF   SOME    WATER   DROPS  151 

Now  breathe  into  the  cold  air. 
You  can  see  the  water  dust. 
Sometimes  we  call  it  steam. 
When  there  is  a  great  deal  of  water   dust 
around  us,  we  say  :  — 

"  It  is  foggy  this  morning." 

Our  1ft tie  water  drops  felt  very  happy. 

They  liked  to  travel  on  sunbeams. 
They  wanted  to  go  to  the  blue  sky. 
After  a  while  it  was  time  for  the  sun  to  visit 
the  rest  of  the  world. 

He  got  red  in  the  face  over  it. 

But  still  he  had  to  go. 

So  he  sank  lower  and  lower. 

At  last,  suddenly,  he  disappeared. 

slipped       pebbles       fanned       huddle 

It  grew  colder  and  colder. 
The  grains  of  water  dust  were  frightened. 
Some  of  them  were  still  near  the  earth. 
The  pebbles  said  :  — 
"Keep  away  from  us." 

But  the  blades  of  grass  begged  them  to  come 
back. 


152  FEBRUARY 

So  the  water  dust  slipped  down  to  them. 

But  in  the  morning  the  sun  came  again. 

And  the  dew  was  glad  to  become  water  dust 
again. 

It  was  glad  to  travel  once  more  on  the  sun- 
beams. 

But  at  noon  it  was  very  tired. 

It  had  gone  too  far  even  to  see  the  dear  green 
grass. 

But  just  then  the  wind  took  pity  on  it. 

He  fanned  it  with  a  breath  into  a  gray  cloud. 

After  this  he  blew  cold  again. 

The  little  grains  of  water  dust  huddled  to- 
gether. 

They  grew  larger  and  larger. 

Patter !     Clatter !     Spatter !  they  said. 

At  last  they  came  to  the  ground  again. 

And  all  the  people  said  :  — 

"  See  how  it  rains  !  " 

mountain       flowed       splashed       blades 
heaven 

Some  of  the  drops  fell  into  a  mountain  stream. 
They  clattered  over  the  stones. 
At  last  they  reached  the  flour  mill. 
It  was  Jerry's  mill. 


STORY  OF  SOME  WATER  DROPS  153 

And  it  was  our  little  grains  of  wheat  that 
they  helped  to  grind  into  flour ! 

They  had  turned  the  wheel. 

Then  they  flowed  into  a  pond. 

It  was  a  beautiful  pond. 

On  top  were  water  lilies. 

These  looked  like  great  white  stars. 

Below  were  minnows,  and  other  pretty  fish. 

Every  once  in  a  while  a  great  green  frog 
splashed  into  the  water. 

It  was  very  lovely  there. 

So  the  water  drops  did  not  hurry  away. 

But  at  last  they  had  to  leave  the  quiet  pond. 

Many  other  brooks  were  tumbling  down  hills. 

One  of  them  was  making  Lindu's  veil. 

A  beautiful  broad  river  held  out  her  hand  to 
them  all. 

They  ran  to  her. 

And  here  they  saw  many  strange  sights. 

They  carried  boats  and  steamers. 

Over  their  heads  were  handsome  bridges. 

Some  of  the  water  stopped  at  the  towns  and 
cities,  but  most  of  it  went  on  and  on. 

At  last  it  reached  the  ocean. 

This  was  the  end  of  its  earth  travels. 

But  it  went  to  heaven  many  times  again. 


MARCH 

March  is  merry, 
March  is  mad, 
March  is  gay, 
And  March  is  sad. 

—  FKANK  DEMPSTER  SHERMAN 


THE  CROW  BLACKBIRD 

colors       opal       rudder       beechnuts 
crayfish 

The  blackbird  is  much  smaller  than  a  crow. 
He  is  black,  to  be  sure. 
But  it  is  a  black  full  of  colors. 
He  looks  like  a  huge  black  opal  in  the  sun. 
There  is  one  thing  about  him  which  is  really 
like  the  crow. 
He  does  not  hop. 
He  walks. 

157 


158  MARCH 

When  he  flies  he  uses  his  tail  as  a  rudder. 

He  can  pick  beechnuts. 

He  can  catch  crayfish  without  being  bitten. 

Flocks  of  blackbirds  come  from  the  south 
together. 

They  make  a  great  deal  of  noise  in  the  early 
spring. 

They  may  be  seen  and  heard  in  the  tops  of 
tall  trees. 

Some  one  says  :  — 

"  Their  song  is  like  pepper  and  salt  to  the 
ear." 

It  is  not  a  beautiful  sound. 

But  when  we  hear  it,  we  know  that  spring 
has  really  come. 


BLUEBIRDS  AND  ROBINS 

breast        sign        rusty       wigwam 

Once  upon  a  time  there  was  a  beautiful  Ind- 
ian girl. 

Her  name  was  Wenonah. 

All  the  animals  loved  her. 

The  wild  cat  carried  his  children  to  her. 

The  deer  knelt  at  her  feet. 


BLUEBIRDS   AND   ROBINS 

They  wanted  her  to  rub  their  heads. 

The  spiders  spun  lace  for  her. 

But  she  loved  the  birds  most  of  all. 

The  robins  came  first  and  then  the  bluebirds. 

One  night  she  called  to  them :  — 

" Brothers!  Brothers!  the  time  has  come.  I 
need  you." 

Her  face  shone  like  a  star. 

"  I  am  going  home,"  she  said. 

"  Come  with  me  part  of  the  way." 

She  rubbed  earth  on  the  breast  of  each. 

This  was  a  sign  that  they  should  return  to  the 
earth. 

The  South  Wind  carried  her  on  high. 

The  sun  shone  on  the  breasts  of  the  birds. 

The  moist  earth  thus  became  brick  red. 

u  Now  you  must  return,"  said  Wenonah. 

"  Wear  forever  the  red  earth  color,  0  Robin  !  " 

Then  she  rubbed  the  rusty  feathers  on  the 
bluebird's  back. 

They  became  blue  as  the  sky. 

"Dear,  dear  bluebird,"  she  said. 

"  Carry  on  your  shoulders  the  blue  color  of 
my  new  home. 

"  You  shall  be  the  spring  sign  of  your  Earth 
Mother. 


160  MARCH 

"  Return,  my  brothers,"  she  said  again. 
All  were  weeping  in  the  wigwam. 
They  said,  "  Wenonah  is  dead." 
But  the  birds  knew  better. 


LITTLE   BIRD  BLUE 

Little  Bird  Blue,  come  sing  us  your  song ; 
The  cold  winter  weather  has  lasted  so  long, 
We're  tired  of  skates,  and  we're  tired  of  sleds, 
We're  tired  of  snowbanks  as  high  as  our  heads  ; 

Now  we're  watching  for  you, 

Little  Bird  Blue. 

Soon  as  you  sing,  then  the  springtime  will  come, 
The  robins  will  call  and  the  honey-bees  hum, 
And  the  dear  little  pussies,  so  cunning  and  gray, 
Will  sit  in  the  willow  trees  over  the  way ; 

So  hurry,  please  do, 

Little  Bird  Blue ! 

We're  longing  to  hunt  in  the  woods,  for  we  know 
Just  where  the  spring  beauties  and  liverwort 
grow; 


' 


UNIVERSITY    )"TTLE   BIRD  BLUE  161 

OF 


We're  sure  they  will  peep  when  they  hear  your 

first  song, 
But,  why  are  you  keeping  us  waiting  so  long, 

All  waiting  for  you, 

Little  Bird  Blue  ? 

—  From  Youth's  Companion, 


162 


MARCH 


ANOTHER   STORY  ABOUT   ROBIN 
REDBREAST 


Long  ago  in  the  North  there  was  only  one  fire 

An  old  man  and  his  little  son  took  care  of  it. 

One  day  the  old  man  became  very  ill. 

And  now  the  white  bear  watched  the  little 
boy  and  the  fire,  too. 

He  wanted  all  the  North  to  himself. 

He  saw  how  tired  and  sleepy  the  little  boy 
was  becoming. 

He  laughed  to  himself. 

One  day  the  little  boy  fell  asleep. 


BIRD   TRAVELLERS  163 

Then  the  white  bear  jumped  on  the  fire  with 
his  wet  feet. 

He  thought  that  he  had  put  it  out. 

But  a  gray  robin  flying  near  knew  better. 

She  flew  down  and  searched  until  she  found 
a  tiny  spark. 

She  fanned  it  with  her  wings. 

Her  little  breast  was  burned. 

But  she  did  not  give  up. 

At  last  there  was  a  fine  blaze. 

Then  she  carried  the  fire  to  every  one  in  the 
Sorth. 

The  white  bear  went  to  his  cave. 

He  growled  and  growled. 

For  now  he  knew  that  the  North  was  not  for 
him  alone. 

And  this  is  the  reason  that  all  northern  people 
love  the  robin. 


BIRD   TRAVELLERS 
travellers       hurry       remembers 

,    What  birds  have  we  seen  every  month  this 
year? 

The  sparrows  and  the  crows,  to  be  sure. 


164  MARCH 

There  are  other  birds,  too,  which  stay  with  us 
all  winter. 

But  the  blackbirds  left  us  last  autumn. 

They  are  beginning  to  come  back  again  now. 

While  they  were  away  we  had  other  bird 
visitors. 

Many  of  you  saw  the  snowbirds. 


Some  of  you  heard  the  chick-a-dee-dee,  chick- 
a-dee-dee. 

Why  do  birds  travel  so  much  more  than 
people  ? 

Perhaps  you  think  that  they  do  not  like  the 
cold. 

It  is  partly  true. 

But  this  is  the  real  reason  for  the  change. 

When  cold  weather  comes  they  cannot  find 
enough  food. 


THE   EARTHWORM 


166 


The  babies  are  the  ones  that  need  the  most 
bod. 

So  it  is  often  they  who  lead  the  others  south. 

How  do  they  know  how  to  go  ? 

They  have  never  travelled  before. 

But  in  the  spring  it  is  the  father  who  leads 
the  way. 

He  is  in  a  hurry  to  build  his  nest. 

Many  times  he  has  travelled  over  the  road. 

He  knows  it  very  well,  indeed. 

He  even  remembers  the  tree  in  which  he 
built  his  nest. 

And  he  often  returns  to  it. 


THE  EARTHWORM 

signs       earthworm       castings 
gardener 


swallow 


What  were  the  signs  of  spring  that  we  found 
yesterday  ? 

They  were  little  curly  lumps  of  earth. 

And  why  were  some  of  them  so  wet  ? 

I  think  that  it  must  be  because  they  were 
fresh. 


166  MARCH 

The  curly  lumps  of  earth  are  called  earth- 
worm castings. 

The  earthworm  makes  them. 

Did  you  ever  see  the  earthworms  at  work  T 

Sprinkle  your  back  yard  with  water. 

Then  go  out  after  dark. 

The  earthworms  will  be  there. 

They  will  keep  their  tails  in  their  holes. 

But  they  will  be  moving  around  and  working 
hard. 

They  swallow  a  great  deal  of  earth. 

This  is  a  good  thing  for  the  plants. 

It  makes  the  soil  very  fine. 

It  mixes  it  as  a  gardener  would  do. 

Then  they  cover  up  the  seeds  with  the 
castings. 

The  earthworm  is  a  friend  to  the  plants. 


THE  EARTHWORM  AGAIN 
chance       cabbage 

i  once  heard  a  boy  say  this  :  — 
"  If  you  cut  an  earthworm  in  two  you  will 
have  two  earthworms." 


THE   EARTHWORM   AGAIN 


167 


Now  this  is  not  quite  true. 
The  two  parts  do  not  die  at  once. 
But  it  is  only  the  head  part  that  has  much 
chance  to  live. 

This  head  is  not  much  like  yours. 
It  has  no  eyes,  no  nose,  no  ears. 
But  it  has  a  mouth.  . 


tU& 


VS& 

J 


The  Earthworm 
cannot  hear. 

But  he  can 
feel  and  smell. 

He   even   feels 
the  light  some- 
times. 

The  Earthworm 
eats  anything. 

But  he  likes  onions  and  cabbages  best  of  all 

They  must  have  water. 

So  we  find  them  in  damp  places. 

When  it  rains,  they  hurry  from  their  holes. 

They  do  not  wait  for  the  rain  to  come  to  them. 

Sometimes  it  is  very  dry. 

Then  they  go  deeper  and  deeper  in  the  ground. 

They  do  this  when  it  is  cold,  too. 

You  cannot  find  them  then,  even  when  you 
dig  for  them. 


168  MARCH 


THE   PEBBLE 

knife       frightened       scratch       quartz 
edges       million 

I  am  one  of  the  aquarium  pebbles. 

My  home  used  to  be  in  a  beautiful  brook. 

But  I  like  it  almost  as  well  in  the  aquarium. 

For  there  are  plants  and  animals  here,  too. 

But  one  day  last  week  something  happened 
that  I  did  not  like. 

I  was  put  on  a  desk. 

Behind  me  was  a  boy  with  a  knife  in  his 
hand. 

I  was  frightened  at  first. 

But  I  need  not  have  been. 

For,  try  as  he  would,  the  boy  could  not  even 
scratch  me. 

And  I  could  scratch  his  knife ! 

The  boy  said  that  my  name  must  be  Quartz. 

On  tjie  teacher's  desk  there  was  a  very  large 
piece  of  quartz. 

It  was  not  round  and  smooth. 

After  a  while  the  teacher  told  this  story  about 
me :  — 


A   SEASHORE   STORY 


169 


"  Once  upon  a  time  this  pebble  was  like  the 
rock  on  my  desk. 

"  But  finally  pieces  began  to  break  off  it. 

"  Jack  Frost  did  the  most  of  this. 

"  But  the  sun  and  the  wind  and  the  rain  all 
helped. 

"  These  smaller  pieces  fell  into  a  brook. 

"  The  brook  shook  them  all  up. 

"  At  last  the  edges  began  to  wear  off. 

"And  after  many  million  years  the  rough 
rock  became  a  round  pebble." 


A  SEASHORE  STORY 
seashore       beach        sailor       prop 


kettle 


Along  the  seashore  live  many  of  the  Quartz 
family. 

All  day  long  the  waves  roll  up  on  the  shore. 

They  throw  the  pebbles  up  and  down. 

They  toss  them  back  and  forth. 

They  knock  them  against  each  other. 

This  has  been  going  on  for  millions  of  years. 

No  wonder  that  the  pebbles  have  grown 
smaller  and  smaller. 


170  MARCH 

No  wonder  that  near  the  water  they  are 
smaller  still. 

People  call  them  grains  of  sand. 

To  just  such  a  beach  of  sand  came  a  strange 
ship  one  day. 

This  ship  carried  a  large  load  of  soda. 

It  had  been  on  the  ocean  a  long  time. 

So  the  sailors  were  glad  to  see  the  sandy 
beach. 

They  landed. 

They  built  a  fire  from  sticks. 

But  there  were  no  stones  to  prop  up  the  kettle. 

The  waves  had  worn  them  into  sand. 

So  they  brought  soda  from  the  ship. 

At  first  the  fire  burned  well. 

Then  suddenly  something  happened. 

The  fire  melted  the  soda  and  sand  together. 

And  for  the  first  time  glass  was  made. 


THE  WIND  AND   THE  SUN 

The  North  Wind  and  the  Sun  once  had  a 
dispute. 

"  I  am  stronger  than  you/'  said  the  North 
Wind, 


THE    WIND   AND   THE   SUN  171 


I   "No,  indeed,"  said  the  Sun. 
"  I  am  stronger  than  you,  for  I  can  do  more." 
Just  then  a  man  came  in  sight. 
He  was  dressed  in  a  heavy  cloak. 
"  Let  us  see  which  of  us  can  first  take  off  his 
cloak,"  they  said  together. 

The  North  Wind  was  the  first  to  try. 
He  blew  and  blew  and  blew. 
But  the  man  only  held  the  cloak  more  closely 
bout  him. 

Then   the   kindly    Sun   first   sent   away   the 
clouds  that  had  gathered. 

He   sent   his   warmest   ray   straight   on   the 
man's  head. 

"  It  is  very  warm,"  said  the  man. 

"  I  must  take  off  my  cloak." 

This  decided  the  question. 

The  Sun  was  right. 

He  could  do  much  more  than  the  Wind. 


The  Wind  and  the  Sun  had  another  dispute 
this  spring. 

The  buds,  you  know,  had  warm,  thick  coats. 

These  were  given  them  last  autumn  by  the 
mother  tree. 


172  MARCH 

All  winter  long  the  wind  blew  and  blew  upon 
them. 

But  they  were  like  the  man. 

They  would  not  take  off  their  cloaks. 

No,  not  even  when  the  Wind  called  on  the 
snow  and  frost  to  help. 

But  now  the  warm  Sun  is  shining  on  them. 

And  the  rain  is  helping,  too. 

They  are  very  glad  to  take  off  their  warm 
cloaks. 


SPRING  BUDS 

Jack  Frost  and  Northwest  Wind  will  soon 
leave  us. 

Then  \Yinter  will  go,  too. 

We  shall  be  glad  to  see  him  go. 

For  we  love  Spring. 

But  we  shall  be  glad  to  have  winter  again, 
too. 

All  winter  the  ground  has  been  brown  and 
hard. 

Sometimes  it  has  been  covered  with  snow. 

Only  the  evergreens  have  been  green  with 
leaves. 


THE   HORSE-CHESTNUT   BRANCH 


173 


There  have  been  no  flowers  and  only  a  few 
birds. 

Plants  and  animals  both  have  been  resting. 

But  now  Spring  is  coming. 

She  will  bring  with  her  many  beautiful  things 
again. 

The  birds  and  flowers  will  come  again. 

The  green  grass  will  begin  to  grow. 

The  buds  will  open. 

Already  they  are  beginning  to  swell. 

Perhaps  we  can  fool  them  a  little. 

We  will  bring  them  indoors. 

We  will  give  them  plenty  of  water  to  drink. 


THE  HORSE-CHESTNUT 
BRANCH 

unfold       scales       leaflet 
Look  at  the  horse-chestnut  branch. 


"Then  gray  horse-chestnuts  little 

hands  unfold, 

Softer  than  a  baby's  be  a+-  three 
days  old." 


174  MARCH 

Now  you  can  see  what  was  inside  the  tough 
brown  scales. 

Are  you  not  glad  that  they  were  thick  ? 

For  they  have  kept  the  cold  from  the  baby's 
hands. 

The  rain  could  not  get  in  either. 


No  wonder  that  the  baby's  hands  are  soft  and 
glossy ! 

Do  you  see  the  horseshoes  on  the  branch  ? 
How  many  nails  do  you  count  ? 
Last  year  the  leaves  were  here. 
Each  little  leaflet  left  a  nail  mark. 
Do  you  see  the  rings  below  ? 


PUSSY  WILLOW  175 

Here  the  scales  of  last  year's  buds  fell  off. 
It  is  easy  to  tell  the  age  of  a  horse-chestnut 
)ranch. 


PUSSY  WILLOW 

"How  do  you  do?"  said  Pussy  Willow,  one 
morning. 

'•  I  have  just  put  on  my  soft  gray  coat. 

"  I  have  come  to  tell  you  the  news :  — 

"  Spring  will  soon  be  here  ! 

"  The  other  buds  will  be  out  later. 

"  They  are  waiting  for  Mr.  Sun. 

"  But  I  do  not  need  to  wait  for  him  to  wake 
me  up. 

"  My  coat  keeps  me  warm. 

"  My  sisters  are  still  asleep  upon  this  very 
branch. 

"  They  are    little    green 
leaf  buds. 

"Before  they  come  out, 
a  strange  thing  will  happen 
to  me. 

"I   shall   be   covered  with 
tiny  yellow  flowers,  like  this  :  —  < 


176  MARCH 

"  Or  with  green  flowers,  like  this 


"  The  yellow  flowers  come  on  some  willow 
trees. 

"  These  are  the  father  trees. 

"  Other  willows  have  the  green  flowers. 

"  These  are  the  mother  trees. 

66  Wait  and  see  from  which  tree  I  came." 


Over  in  the  meadow, 

Where  the  clear  pools  shine, 
Lived  a  green  mother  frog 

And  her  froggies  nine.- 
"  Croak/'  said  the  mother, 

"  We  croak,"  said  the  nine. 
So  they  croaked  and  they  splashed 

Where  the  clear  pools  shine. 

—  OLIVE  A.  WADSWORTH. 
N  177 


178 


MARCH 


THE  DANCE  OF  THE  MAPLE  KEYS 

maple  keys       lawn       delight 
blanket       grove 

Why,  what  are  these  ? 

They  are  a  party  of  happy  maple  keys. 


See  them  dancing  with  glee  on  a  snowy  lawn. 
They  are  standing  on  their  heads  with  delight. 
What  has  made  them  so  happy,  do  you  say  ? 
Just  what  makes  us  happy  to-day. 
Spring  is  coming,  coming,  coming. 
The  sun  is  taking  off  winter's  snow  blanket. 
He  has  told  the  good  news  to  the  birds  and 
the  seeds  and  the  roots. 

And  they  are  all  coming  in  answer  to  his  call. 


STORY   OF   THE    MAPLE    KEYS 


179 


But  what  are  the  maple  keys  thinking  about  ? 

Perhaps  about  the  beautiful  grove  they  hope 
to  become. 

Perhaps  about  the  tree  mother  that  they  have 
left. 

Perhaps  about  the  southwest  wind  and  the 
warm  rain. 

For  these  will  help  them  to  grow. 

And  perhaps  they  are  just  happy,  without 
thinking  about  it  at  all. 


STORY  OF  THE 
MAPLE  KEYS 


Norway 
crimson 


coral 
reef 


This  is  the  Nor- 
way maple. 

It  has  the  most 
beautiful  bud  of  all 
the  maples. 

All  the  tiny  leaves 
are  covered  with  larger  scales. 

These  scales  are  pale  green 
dth  fine  stripes  of  bronze. 


180 


MARCH 


The  flowers,  too,  are  very  handsome. 
But  they  are  pale  in  color. 


It  is  the  red  maple  which  has  flowers  like 
coral. 

"The  maples  crimson  to  a  coral  reef,"  said 
Mr.  Lowell. 

After  a  time  the  flowers  of  all  maples  turn 
to  fruit. 

This  ^  is  a  maple  fruit. 

And  inside  are  the  two 
twin  maple  babies. 

Many  times  I  have  seen 
the  twins  swinging  in  the  tree. 


THE   MAPLE   FRUITS   AGAIN  181 


»"  Dear  mother  tree,  let  us  go. 
"  We  want  to  try  our  wings. 
"  We  wish  to  be  trees  ourselves." 
But  the  mother  tree  would  not  let  them  go. 
u  Not  yet,"  she  said. 
"  Wait  until  you  are  older  and  stronger. 
"  Wait  until  I  have  given  you  plenty  of  food- 
"  Then,  when  you  are  quite  ready,  I  will  let 
you  go." 


THE   MAPLE   FRUITS  AGAIN 
journeys       separated       discouraged 

At  last  the  mother  tree  had  done  all  that  she 
could. 

The  twins  were  full  grown. 

Their  seed  leaves  were  thick  with  food. 

The  babies  were  well  covered  up  in  their 
little  cradles. 

One  day  the  west  wind  carried  off  some  of 
the  twins. 

"  Now,"  they  said,  "we  can  begin  to  be  trees." 

"  Sun  and  rain,  help  us  to  grow !  "  they  cried. 

But  the  sun  only  smiled. 

And  the  rain  wept. 


182  MARCH 

They  said,  "  Not  yet,  not  yet,  little  twins ! " 
Sometimes  the  wind  carried  them  on  short 
journeys. 

After  a  while  it  grew  colder. 

Then  came  snow  and  ice. 

The  twins  had  long  since  separated. 

Now  each  was  frozen  to  the  ground. 

They  could  not  move. 

The  wind  broke  off  bits  of  their  wings. 

They  began  to  look  old  and  brown. 

They  felt  very  much  discouraged. 

"  Shall  we  ever  be  trees  ?  "  they  said. 


At  last  spring  came. 

And  then  the  maple  keys  had  their  party. 
No  wonder  they  were  gay  and  happy. 
For  each  maple  baby  had  sent  a  little  white 
foot  into  the  ground. 

You  call  this  foot  a  root. 

But  it  is  a  foot  for  the  little  maple  baby. 

It  helps  her  to  stand  up. 

But  I  will  tell  you  something  very  strange  :  — 

Maple  babies  have  mouths  in  their  feet. 

They  cannot  run  around  to  get  their  food. 

But  their  feet  can  travel. 


THE   MAPLE   FRUITS   AGAIN 


183 


So  they  have  mouths  in  their       ^ 
feet. 
And    their    feet    are   in   the 


For  this  is  where  their 
food  is. 

A  little  later 
two  long  leaves 
came   out  of  the 
cradle. 

But  they  did 
not  look  like  ma- 
ple leaves. 

The  baby  did  not  """ 
care. 

He  was  only  too  glad 
to  have  any  leaves. 

Before  long  two  more  leaves    !|>-'  came  out 
of  the  bud. 

These    were    just    like    the    leaves    on    the 
mother  tree. 


APRIL 

Now  the  noisy  winds  are  still, 
April's  coming  up  the  hill." 

—  MRS.  MARY  MAPES  DODGE. 


"Sweet  April  wakes." 


—TENNYSON. 


THE  BIRCH  TREE 

Hiawatha     birch     canoe     wrapper     rustled 
breeze       patience 

Said  Hiawatha :  — 

"  Give  me  of  your  bark,  0  Birch  Tree 
Of  your  yellow  bark,  0  Birch  Tree, 
I  a  light  canoe  will  build  me, 
That  shall  float  upon  the  river 
Like  a  yellow  leaf  in  Autumn, 
Like  a  yellow  water  lily ! 

187 


188  APRIL 

"  Lay  aside  your  cloak,  0  Birch  Tree, 
Lay  aside  your  white  skin  wrapper. 
For  the  summer  time  is  coming, 
And  the  sun  is  warm  in  heaven, 

And  you  need  no  white  skin  wrapper." 

And  the  tree  with  all  its  branches 
Rustled  in  the  breeze  of  morning, 
Saying,  with  a  sigh  of  patience, 
"Take  my  cloak,  0  Hiawatha." 


THE  BIRCH 
especially       graceful       delicate 

The  birch  is  a  beautiful  tree. 
The    white   birch   is   especially  graceful  and 
delicate. 

It  has  been  said  of  it :  — 


THE   BIRCH  189 

"Most  beautiful  of  forest  trees, 
The  Lady  of  the  Wood." 

But  the  canoe  birch  is  the  best  known  and 
most  useful  of  all  the  birches. 

It  will  give  you  a  tent,  or  a  roof,  or  a  boat. 

When  it  rains  you  may  use  its  bark  for  an 
umbrella. 

It  will  give  you  plates,  spoons,  letter  paper, 
candles,  and  wood. 

The  nicest  cup  in  the  world  is  a  birch  bark 
cup. 

It  just  fits  the  mouth. 

It  makes  the  water  taste  sweet. 

I  am  thirsty  now  as  I  think,  of  it. 

And  the  thought  of  its  cousin  makes  me 
hungry. 

Do  you  know  the  black  birch  ? 

It  may  not  be  as  beautiful  as  the  white  birch. 

But  it  tastes  so  good. 

Only  young  wintergreen  leaves  are  more 
spicy. 

Only  the  wild  strawberry  is  more  delicious. 


190 


APRIL 


FERN    SONG 


Dance  to  the  beat  of  the  rain,  little  Fern, 
And  spread  out  your  palms  again, 

And  say,  "  Though  the  Sun 

Hath  my  vesture  spun, 

He  had  labored,  alas  !  in  vain, 

But  for  the  shade 

That  the  cloud  hath  made, 

And  the  gift  of  the  Dew  and  Rain.'' 

Then  laugh  and  upturn 
All  your  fronds,  little  Fern, 

And  rejoice  in  the  beat  of  the  rain. 

—  JOHN  B.  TABB. 


THE   POPLAKS 


191 


THE  POPLARS 
catkins       necklace       downy 

Do  you  remember  these  buds  ? 

From  some  of  them  came  red  cater- 
pillars. 

No :    not   caterpillars.      We 
must  say  catkins. 

Or  we  may  call  them  poplar 
flowers. 

But  they  look  like  caterpillars. 

After  the  catkins  had  fallen  to  the 
ground  the  leaves  came.     Here  they  are  :  — 


This  is  one  of  the  commonest  of  city  trees. 
It  grows  very  rapidly  even  in  the  city. 


192 


APRIL 


But  the  leaves  fall  soon. 
Sometimes  it  is  called  the  Necklace  Poplar. 
This  is  because  of  its  catkins. 
But   most   people  call  it  the  North  Carolina 
Poplar. 

Here  are  the  leaves  of  one  of  its  cousins :  — 


They  are  white  and  downy  on  the  under  side. 
So  it  is  called  the  white  Poplar. 
Sometimes   the   wind   blows  the  white  sides 
uppermost. 

Then  some  people  say  :  — 
"  It  will  rain  soon." 
"  And  so  it  often  does. 


THE   WALNUT   TREE  193 

WALNUT    TREE     THAT    WANTED 
TO   BEAR   TULIPS. 

grower       different       velvety       greet 
stranger       sawed 

Once  upon  a  time  a  young  Walnut  lived  in 
the  back  yard  of  a  tulip  grower. 

The  Walnut  tree  loved  the 
tulips. 

He  was  glad  that 
the  sun  was  good  to 
them. 

Still   he  did 
wish   that  the 
sun   would   pay 
him  a  long  visit, 
too. 

The  tree    knew 
every   tulip   in   the 
garden. 

He  said  good-morn- 
ing to  them  each  day. 

And  he  gave  each  new  one  a  hearty  welcome. 

One  day  a  strange  tulip  bloomed. 


194  APRIL 

It  was  different  from  all  of  the  others. 

Its  color  was  a  deep  velvety  black. 

When  the  Walnut   tree    saw   this   tulip,   he 
danced  for  joy. 

His  branches  bent  down  to  greet  the  wonder- 
ful stranger. 

His  leaves  kissed  her. 

More  than  ever  he  wished  that  he  could  bear 
tulips. 

He  went  to  work  with  a  will. 

He  sent  his  roots  deep  into  the  big  garden. 

He   spread   his  branches  to  get  all  the  sun- 
light. 

And  this  he  did  bravely  for  over  a  hundred 
years. 

The  Walnut  tree  was  beautiful  to  look  upon. 

But  it  had  never  borne  tulips. 

One  day  a  wood  carver  went  by. 

"  This  is  a  perfect  tree,"  he  said. 

"  It  is  just  what  I  need  for  my  work." 

So  the  tree  was  cut  down. 

Its  wood  was  sawn  and  cut. 

But  the  Walnut  did  not  care. 

For  what  do  you  think  the  wood  carver  was 
making  ? 

BEAUTIFUL  BLACK  TULIPS! 


THE   ELM 


195 


THE   ELM 

ions      General      Washington      command 
American       William  Penn       Indian 
friendly 

I  am  a  famous  tree. 

Under  me  once  stood 
the  great  General 
Washington. 

It  was  the  day  before 

te  Fourth  of  July.   > 

But  there  was  no 
'  ourth  of  July  then. 


For  General  Wash- 
ington  had    only    just 
begun  to  fight  for  us. 
Under  my  branches 
he  took  command  of 
the  American  Army. 
I  know  that  this  is  true. 
For  my  sign  says  so. 
Here  is  a  friend  of  mine. 
He  is  no  longer  living. 


196 


APRIL 


But  once  upon  a   time   a   great   man    stood 
under  his  branches. 

The  name  of  the  great  man  was  William  Penn. 
He  met  the  Indians  here. 
They  were  always  friendly  to  him  after  this. 
For  they  knew  that  he  was  fair. 

Now    you    know    how    beautiful    I 
am. 

These  are  my  flowers. 
After  the  flowers  come  beauti- 
ful fruits. 


And  later   still   come 
these  leaves. 


WHO  AM  I? 


197 


WHO  AM  I? 

hyacinth       nosegay 

Do  you  know  my  name  ? 

I  am  a  large  tree  with  very 
beautiful  white  flowers. 

The  bees  love  me. 

For  I  give  them  honey. 

Children  love  me 
because  I  am  beau- 
tiful. 

Sometimes  they 
call  me  a  Hyacinth 
tree. 

For  my  flowers 
do  look  like  a  hya- 
cinth. 

Then  again,  they  pretend  that 
I  am  the  nosegay  of  a  giant. 

I  think  that  I  look  something 
like  a  Christmas  tree. 

My  flowers  are  the  candles. 
Here  is  my  fruit. 


198 


APRIL 


And  here  is  my  large  seed. 
It  looks  something  like  a  chestnut. 
Now  I  am  sure  that  you  know  my 
name. 

Yes  :  that  is 
right. 

I  am  the 
Horse-chestnut 
tree. 


I  am  the  Linden. 

Do  you  not  think  my  flowers  beautiful  ? 
So  do  the  bees ! 


TO   VIOLETS 


199 


You  must 
know  my  name. 

My  branches 
are  so  gnarled. 

Even  in  win- 
ter you  can  tell 
who  I  am. 

But  I  am 
most  beautiful 
in  my  summer- 
dress. 


welcome 


TO   VIOLETS 

maids-of-honor 
neglected 


respected 


Welcome,  maids  of  honor ! 

You  do  bring 

In  the  Spring 
And  wait  upon  her. 


200 


APRIL 


She  has  maidens  many, 
Fresh  and  fair; 
Yet  you  are 
More  sweet  than  any. 


Yet  though  thus  respected. 

By  and  bye 

You  do  lie 
Poor  girls !  neglected. 

—  ROBERT  HERRICK. 


NARCISSUS 

Narcissus      hunting      companions      fountain 

Narcissus  had  been  hunting  in  the  forest  all 
day. 

He  had  lost  his  companions. 

While  looking  for  them,  he  saw  a  fountain. 

He  knelt  down  on  the  bank  to  drink. 

He  saw  a  beautiful  face  in  the  water. 

He  thought  that  it  was  the  sprite  of  the 
fountain. 

"You  are  the  most  beautiful  woman  that  I 
have  ever  seen,"  he  said. 

"  Come  to  me,  and  I  will  always  love  you." 


NARCISSUS 


201 


The  face  smiled  back  at  him. 

But  she  said  nothing. 

Day  after  day  Narcissus  hung  over 
the  fountain. 

He  forgot  to  eat  and  drink. 

He  did  not  even  sleep. 

And  at  last  he  died 
of  grief. 

For  he  never 
knew  that  it  was 
his  own  beautiful 
face  in  the  foun- 
tain. 

His  friends  came 
to  carry  away  his 
body. 

They  could  not 
find  it. 

But  from  the 
edge  of  the  water 
a  flower  rose. 

And  for  him 
they  named  it  the 
Narcissus. 


202 


APRIL 


LITTLE   ANEMONE 
anemone       messenger       swayed       petalec' 

Little  anemone, 
So  frail  and  fair, 

Blooming  so  brave 
In  the  cold  spring 
air. 

Sweet    little   messen- 
ger, 

Sent  here  to  tell, 
Summer  is  coming 

And  all  will  be  well. 

Standing  so  firm, 

Though  swayed  by  the  breeze, 
Seeming  to  say 

By  its  pure  petaled  leaves  : 

Out  of  the  darkness 

Shall  come  forth  light, 
God  in  His  wisdom 

Has  made  day  and  night. 

—  H.  S.  PIKE,  from  Fairy  Land  of  Flowers. 


SPRING  FLOWERS  203 

SPRING  FLOWERS 

early      Hepatica      purple      Dog- 
tooth Violet 

We  are  the  early  flowers. 
Can  you  call  us  all  by  name  ? 
My  name  is  Hepatica. 
Just  as  soon  as  I  hear  the  robin 
I  put  my  head  above  the  ground. 
I   can    come    earlier    than    most 
flowers. 

For  I  have  a  soft,  furry 
hood. 

But   it   soon   gets   too 
warm  for  me. 
So  I  throw  it  off. 
My  gown  is  lavender. 
But    my    sisters   wear 
different  colors. 

Some    are    dressed    in 
purple. 

Others   wear   pink,  or 
even  white. 

#         #         #         *         * 
My  name  is  Spring  Beauty. 


204 


APRIL 


I  am  the  Blood- 
root. 

And  I  am  a  stately  yellow  lily. 

Trout  lily  some  call  me. 

This  is  because  I  have  speckled  leaves. 

But  most  people  call  me  Dogtooth  Violet. 

I  have  not  the  least  idea  why  they  do  this. 


A   LESSON  OF  FAITH  205 

A  LESSON   OF  FAITH 

CHAPTER   I 
engage       hatch       cabbage       remember 

"Let  me  engage  you  as  a  nurse  for  my  poor 
illdren." 

A  Butterfly  was  speaking  to  a  Caterpillar. 

"  I  feel  very  ill,"  she  continued. 

"  These  eggs  which  you  see  are  mine. 

"  I  do  not  know  how  soon  they  will  hatch. 

"  But   when   they   do,    feed    them   on    early 

w. 

"  Get  them  honey  from  the  flowers. 

"  Do  not  let  them  fly  about  too  much  at  first. 

"  What  a  pity  it  is  that  you  cannot  fly 
yourself. 

"But  I  have  no  time  to  look  for  another 
nurse. 

"  Dear !  why  did  I  lay  my  eggs  on  a  cabbage 
leaf? 

"  But  you  will  be  kind  to  my  poor  little  ones. 

"  How  dizzy  I  am  ! 

"  Remember  the  food,  Caterpillar." 

With  these  words,  the  Butterfly  died. 


206  APRIL 

The  poor  Caterpillar  had  no  chance  to  say 
either  yes  or  no. 

But  there  were  the  eggs  right  before  her. 

"  A  pretty  nurse  she  has  chosen,  poor  lady. 

"  They  will  not  mind  me  when  they  feel  the 
gay  wings  on  their  back." 

But  the  Caterpillar  had  a  kind  heart. 

She  made  up  her  mind  to  do  her  best. 


CHAPTER  II 
believe       easily 

"Two  heads  are  better  than  one/'  said  the 
Caterpillar. 

"  I  will  ask  some  wise  animal  about  the 
matter." 

Still  she  did  not  know  whom  to  ask. 

There  was  the  dog,  —  but  then  he  was  so 
rough. 

And  the  cat  who  came  to  the  garden  cared 
for  nothing  but  herself. 

At  last  she  thought  of  the  Lark. 

The  Lark  listened  to  her  story. 

Then  he  went  singing  into  the  blue  sky. 

The  Caterpillar  could  not  hear  a  sound. 


A   LESSON   OF   FAITH  207 

At  last  the  Lark  began  to  be  heard  again. 
The  Caterpillar  almost  jumped  for  joy. 
"  News,  news,  brother  Caterpillar/'  sung  the 
Lark. 

"  But  the  worst  of  it  is,  you  will  not  believe 


me." 


66 1  believe  everything  I  am  told,"  said  the 
Caterpillar. 

"  Well,  then,  I  will  tell  you  what  these  little 
caterpillars  are  to  eat." 

"  Dew  and  honey  from  the  flowers,"  said  the 
Caterpillar. 

"  Nothing  of  the  kind,"  said  the  Lark. 

"  They  are  to  eat  something  that  you  can 
easily  get  for  them." 

"  But  I  can  get  nothing  easily  except  cabbage 
leaves,"  said  the  Caterpillar. 

"  Good,"  said  the  Lark. 

"  You  are  to  feed  them  on  cabbage  leaves !  " 

"  Never,"  said  the  Caterpillar. 

"  But  why  do  you  ask  me,  and  then  not  be- 
lieve me? 

"  You  have  no  faith." 

"  Oh,  I  believe  everything  I  am  told,"  said 
the  Caterpillar. 

"  No,  you  do  not. 


208  APRIL 

"  You  do  not  even  believe  about  the  food. 

"  Now  tell  me  what  you  think  the  eggs  will 
become." 

"  Butterflies,  of  course." 

"  Caterpillars,"  said  the  Lark. 

"  You  will  find  it  all  out  in  time,"  he  added, 
as  he  flew  away. 

CHAPTER  III 
foolish       cruel 

"  I  thought  that  the  Lark  was  wise,"  said  the 
Caterpillar. 

"  But  he  is  foolish  and  unkind. 

"  But  what  does  he  see  when  he  flies  so  high?" 

"  I  would  tell  you  if  you  would  believe  me," 
said  the  Lark. 

"I  believe  everything  I  am  told,"  said  the 
Caterpillar. 

"  Then  I  will  tell  you  something.  Some  day 
you  will  be  a  butterfly  yourself ! " 

"Go  away !     You  are  cruel  and  foolish." 

"  But  I  said  that  you  would  not  believe  me," 
said  the  Lark. 

Just  then  the  Caterpillar  felt  something 
moving. 


LITTLE    WHITE   LILY  209 


There  were  eight  or  ten  tiny  caterpillars. 

They  were  already  eating  the  cabbage. 

They  had  broken  from  the  Butterfly's  eggs. 

At  first  the  Caterpillar  was  very  much 
ashamed. 

Then  she  was  glad. 

For  she  thought  that  perhaps  she,  too,  would 
be  a  butterfly  after  all. 


LITTLE  WHITE  LILY 
droopeth       drooping 

Little  White  Lily 
Sat  by  a  stone, 
Drooping  and  waiting 
Till  the  sun  shone. 

Little  White  Lily 
Sunshine  has  fed. 
Little  White  Lily 
Is  lifting  her  head. 

Little  White  Lily 
Droopeth  with  pain, 
Waiting  and  waiting 
For  the  wet  rain. 


210  APRIL 

Little  White  Lily 
Holdeth  her  cup  ; 
Rain  is  fast  falling 
And  filling  it  up. 


Little  White  Lily 
Smells  very  sweet. 
On  her  head  sunshine, 
Rain  at  her  feet. 

Thanks  to  the  sunshine, 
Thanks  to  the  rain, 
Little  White  Lily 
Is  happy  again. 

—  GEORGE  MACDONALD 


Indians       settlers       clearing 
disappear       misfortune 

Once  there  were  no  white  people  in  America. 
Only  Indians  lived  here. 
There  were  no  cities  and  towns  then. 
The  whole  land  was  covered  with  forests. 
The   first  thing  that  the  white   settlers  did 
was  to  cut  down  some  trees. 

They  called  this  making  a  "  clearing." 

I  Out  of  the  trees  they  built  their  log-cabins. 
At  last  the  forest  began  to  disappear. 
This  was  a  misfortune. 
211 


212  APRIL 

For  the  living  trees  are  very  good  to  us. 

They  give  us  shade. 

They  give  us  better  air. 

They  bring  the  rain. 
,  They  break  the  force  of  the  storms. 

Still  we  must  have  the  dead  trees  too. 

We  need  -  them  for  lumber,  for  fuel,  and  for 
manufacturing. 

What  can  we  do  about  it? 

We  can  plant  new  trees. 

Our  wise  country  knows  this. 

So  she  asks  us  to  join  her  in  planting  trees 
on  Arbor  Day. 


MAY 

"  In  May  the  valley  lilies  ring, 

Their  bells  chime  clear  and  sweet, 
They  cry,  6  Come  forth,  ye  flowerets  all 
And  dance  with  twinkling  feet/  ' 

—  From  the  German, 


MAY 


Pretty  little  violets, 

Waking  from  your  sleep ; 
Fragrant  little  blossoms, 

Just  about  to  peep. 
Would  you  know  the  reason 

All  the  world  is  gay  ? 
Listen  to  the  bobolink 

Telling  you  'tis  May ! 

215 


216  MAY 


Little  ferns  and  grasses, 

All  so  green  and  bright, 
Purple  clover  nodding, 

Daisies  fresh  and  white. 
Would  you  know  the  reason 

All  the  world  is  gay  ? 
Listen  to  the  bobolink 

Telling  you  'tis  May ! 

Darling  little  warblers, 

Coming  in  the  spring, 
Would  you  know  the  reason 

That  you  love  to  sing  ? 
Hear  the  merry  children 

Shouting  as  they  play, 
Listen  to  the  bobolink 

Telling  us  'tis  May!1 


1  From  Songs  and  Games  for  Little  Ones,  by  Walker  and 
Jenks.  Reprinted  by  permission  of  the  Oliver  Ditson  Com- 
pany, owners  of  the  copyright. 


THE   SWALLOW 


217 


THE  SWALLOW 

sowing       flax       linen 
discovered       begged 


A   swallow  saw  a  man  sowing  seeds  in  the 
ground. 

.  She  went  behind  him  and  picked  up  one  of 
the  seeds. 

She  found  that  it  was  flax. 

"  Soon  this  flax  will  be  grain/'  she  said. 

"  Then  it  will  be  made  into  linen  thread. 

"Then  perhaps  it  will  be  made  into  nets  to 
catch  us  birds." 


218  MAY 

So  she  went  to  all  the  birds. 

She  told  them  what  she  had  discovered. 

She  begged  them  to  come  to  help  her  eat  up 
the  flax  seed. 

But  the  birds  would  not  listen  to  her. 

Not  one  of  them  would  help  her. 

The  young  flax  began  to  grow. 

The  Swallow  again  tried  to  get  the  birds  to 
help  her. 

But  they  only  made  fun  of  her. 

And  the  flax  kept  on  growing. 

The  Swallow  saw  how  careless  the  birds  were. 

So  she  left  the  woods. 

She  came  to  live  among  men. 

She  built  her  nests  in  barns  and  along  the 
eaves  of  houses. 

Has  a  wise  little  swallow  never  looked  at  you 
with  bright  eyes  ? 

Do  you  know  what  she  tried  to  say  to  you  ? 

It  was  this  :  — 

Dear  child,  do  not  wait  until  it  is  too  late  to 
do  what  ought  to  be  done  now. 

—  Adapted  from 


THE   CONCEITED   APPLE   BRANCH  219 

THE   CONCEITED   APPLE   BRANCH 
princess       noticed       fault 

It  was  the  month  of  May. 

The  wind  still  blew  cold. 

But  from  bush  and  tree,  field  and  flower,  came 
the  sound :  — 

"  Spring  has  come." 

A  young  princess  was  driving  slowly  by. 

She  saw  a  beautiful  branch  of  apple  blossoms. 

She*carried  them  home  with  her  to  the  castle. 

Nearly  every  one  said  something  about  the 
branch. 

And  the  apple  branch  soon  learned  that  there 
were  many  different  people  in  the  world. 

He  looked  out  of  the  open  window. 

He  saw  too  that  even  the  plants  wero  rich, 
and  poor,  ugly  and  beautiful. 

He  noticed  a  little  common  yellow  flower  that 
grew  everywhere. 

It  even  grew  between  paving  stones  and  in 
the  city. 

"Poor  little  plants,"  said  the  apple  blossom. 

"  It  is  not  your  fault  that  you  are  ugly. 


220  MAY 

"  It  is  not  your  fault  that  you  have  the  ugly 
name  of  dandelion. 

"  No  ;  but  it  is  with  plants  as  with  men. 

"  There  must  be  a  difference." 

"  A  difference,"  cried  the  sunbeam. 

He  kissed  the  apple  blossom  as  he  spoke. 

And  then  he  kissed  the  yellow  dandelion  in 
the  field. 

The  sunbeam  knew  better. 


wreaths       picked       breath       whoever 

A  number  of  children  came  across  the  field. 

The  youngest  laughed  when  he  saw  the 
dandelions. 

He  kissed  them  with  delight. 

The  older  children  made  wreaths  and  chains 
and  belts  of  them. 

They  picked  carefully  some  of  those  that  had 
gone  to  seed. 

Then  some  tried  to  blow  them  all  off  with  one 
breath. 

For  they  knew  that  whoever  did  so  would 
have  new  clothes  soon. 

"Do  you  see,"  said  the  sunbeam,  "the  beauty 
of  the  dandelions  ?  " 


THE   CONCEITED  APPLE   BRANCH  221 

"  Yes,  to  children  they  are  beautiful,"  said 
the  apple  blossom. 

blunt       conceited       feathery       strong 
blushed 

By  and  by  an  old  woman  came  into  the  field. 

In  her  hand  she  carried  a  blunt  knife. 

She  dug  out  the  roots  of  the  dandelion  with  it. 

With  some  of  them  she  made  tea  for  herself. 

But  others  she  sold. 

With  the  money  she  bought  milk  and  sugar. 

"But  beauty  is  better  than  all  this/'  said  the 
conceited  apple  blossoms. 

Just  then  the  princess  came  into  the  room. 

In  her  hand  she  carried  something  that  seemed 
like  a  flower. 

She  covered  it  carefully  from  the  wind. 

What  do  you  think  it  was  ? 

It  was  the  feathery  seed  crown  of  a  dandelion  ! 

•"  See,"  she  said,  "how  beautiful  it  is  ! 

"I  will  paint  it  in  a  picture  with  the  apple 
blossoms." 

Then  the  sunbeam  kissed  again  the  dandelion 
and  the  apple  blossoms. 

And  the  apple  blossom  blushed. 

—  Adapted  from  ANDERSEN. 


222  MAY 


THE  DANDELION 

With  locks  of  gold  to-day ; 
To-morrow,  silver  gray ; 
Then  blossom  bald.     Behold, 
0  man  !  thy  fortune  told. 

—  JOHN  B.  TABS. 


A   STORY  OF    THE  DANDELION 

usually       naughty       reached       lonely 
rubbed 

Once  upon  a  time  a  great  many  little  stars 
lived  in  the  sky. 

Their  father  was  the  Sun. 

The  Moon  was  their  mother. 

Usually  they  were  very  good  little  children. 

They  liked  to  brighten  the  sky. 

But  one  night  their  mother  called  to  them  to 
come  to  their  work. 

They  came  very  slowly. 

They  did  not  shine  when  she  told  them  to  do 
so. 


A   STORY    OF   THE    DANDELION  223 

What  do  you  think  old  Mother  Moon  did  ? 

She  called  up  from  the  earth  some  good  little 
stars. 

They  were  only  flowers  on  earth. 

But  they  did  the  very  best  that  they  could. 

So  they  were  changed  into  stars  in  the  sky. 

The  naughty  stars  felt  themselves  falling  — 
falling — falling. 

At  last  they  reached  the  earth. 

They  cried,  and  cried,  and  cried. 

For  they  were  lonely,  and  very  sorry  for  what 
they  had  done. 

At  last  they  fell  asleep. 

In  the  morning  the  Sun  came. 

He  shone  so  brightly  that  everything  woke. 

Even  his  little  children,  the  stars,  rubbed  open 
their  eyes. 

Then  they  began  to  cry  again. 

For  they  remembered  how  naughty  they  had 
been. 

Their  father,  the  Sun,  felt  sorry  for  them. 

So  he  told  them  they  might  shine  on  the 
earth. 

So  now  the  stars  shine  in  heaven  at  night. 

And  the  dandelions  shine  in  the  grass  during 
the  day. 


224 


MAY 


THE  DANDELION 

rosette       upwards       divide       enough 
plenty 


Every    one    knows 
My  name  is  dande- 
And  I  am,  indeed,  a 
For  there  is  no  place 

not  live  in  it. 

And   then  I  make  it 
Have    you    ever   seen 

a  sandy  place? 


me. 
lion. 

dandy  lion, 
so  poor  that  I  can- 


beautiful, 
me  growing  in 


THE   DANDELION 

I  look  like  this. 


225 


My  leaves  make  a  little  rosette. 

But  in  the  grass  I  am  quite  different. 

Then  my  leaves  reach  upwards. 

If  I  did  not  make  a  rosette  of  myself  in  the 
sand  what  would  happen  ? 

Why,  other  plants  would  try  to  grow  in  the 
same  place. 

We  would  have  to  divide  the  food. 

There  would  not  be  enough  for  any  of  us. 

And  perhaps  we  would  all  die. 

But  suppose  that  I  should  make  a  rosette  of 
myself  in  the  grass  ? 

Then  it  would  be  very  bad  for  the  grass. 

I  should  shade  it  so  that  it  could  not  grow. 


226  MAY 

Or  else  it  would  be  very  bad  for  me. 
For  the  Sun  could  not  find  me  if  the  grass 
did  grow. 

And  we  plants  must  have  plenty  of  light. 

Here  I  am  again  ! 

Once  I  was  yellow. 

My  stem  was  short. 

I  shone  like  a  star  in  the  green  grass. 

The  bees  came  to  visit  me  on  sunny  days. 

On  rainy  days  and  at  night  I  slept. 

This  was  to  keep  the  honey  nice  for  the  bees 

One  day  the  Sun  called  me,  as  usual. 

But  I  did  not  wake  up. 

I  hid  my  head. 

For  I  was  no  longer  beautiful. 

But  look  at  me  now. 

My  stem  is  long. 

I  was  never  so  tall  before. 

Look  at  my  head. 

It  is  covered  with  lovely  white  hair. 

It  must  be  that  I  am  an  old  man. 

These  white  hairs  must  be  seeds. 

Look  at  them. 

Are  they  not  like  balloons  ? 

Some  day  West  Wind  will  call  them. 


228  MAY 

They  will  fly  away  with  him. 
Then  I  shall  be,  indeed,  an  old,  old  man. 
For  I  shall  be  bald. 
But  I  am  glad  of  it. 

For  each  of  my  seeds  may  grow  into  another 
whole  plant. 

And  little  children  love  us  so. 


ANOTHER  STORY   OF  THE  DANDELION 

South  Wind  is  fat  and  lazy. 

He  lives  where  it  is  always  summer. 

Sometimes  he  brings  to  us  things  from  this 
summer  land. 

In  the  spring  he  sends  the  robins  and  blue- 
birds. 

Then  he  brings  the  swallows  and  the  wild 
geese. 

Without  him  the  melons  and  grapes  would  not 
grow. 

One  clay  he  was  looking  toward  us,  northward. 

Then  he  saw  a  beautiful  maiden. 

Her  garments  were  brightest  green. 

Her  hair  had  in  it  the  gold  of  the  sunshine. 


THE   DANDELION  229 

South  Wind  loved  her. 

Every  day  he  looked  upon  her. 

But  he  was  too  fat  and  lazy  to  go  to  her. 

So  he  only  sighed  and  looked. 

One  morning  her  beautiful  yellow  hair  was 
white. 

It  looked  as  if  it  were  covered  with  snow- 
flakes. 

"North  Wind,"  he  said. 

"  You  have  stolen  the  maiden  from  me. 

"  I  saw  the  touch  of  your  hand  on  her 
head." 

He  sighed,  and  sighed  again. 

Then  the  air  seemed  full  of  snowflakes. 

The  maiden  with  hair  like  sunshine  was  gone 
forever. 

Poor,  poor  South  Wind  ! 

It  was  no  woman  that  you  looked  at. 

It  was  no  maiden  that  you  sighed  for. 

It  was  the  dandelion  ! 

—  Adapted  from  Hiawatha. 


230 


MAY 


THE   TAX-GATHERER 

surprise       eye-glass       publican 
collecting       tax 

"  And  pray,  who  are  you  ?  " 

Said  the  violet  blue 
To  the  bee,  with  surprise 

At  his  wonderful  size, 
In  her  eye-glass  of  dew. 

"I,  madam,"  said  he, 

"  Am  a  publican  bee 
Collecting  the  tax 

On  honey  and  wax* 
Have  you  nothing  for  me  ?  " 

—  JOHN  B.  TABB. 


THE   APPLE   BLOSSOM 


231 


STORY   OF  THE  APPLE   BLOSSOM 

stirring       decided       orchard       delicious 
handkerchiefs 

It  was  a  bright  sunny  May  morning. 
The  worker  bees  were  up  and  stirring. 
They  were  out  on  a  honey  hunt. 


But  they  had  not  yet  decided  which  flower 
to  visit. 

They  went  by  an  old  orchard. 

The  bees  stopped  a  moment. 

Certainly  there  was  an  odor  of  delicious 
honey  in  the  air. 


232  MAY 

Then  all  at  once  little  pink  and  white  hand 
kerchiefs  began  to  flutter  in  the  wind. 

And    they   heard    the   voices   of    the    apple 
blossoms  saying :  — 

"  This  way,  little  bees. 

"  Walk  right  in  and  help  yourselves. 

"  Our  finest  honey  is  at  your  service." 

And  the  bees  did  walk  right  in. 

They  helped  themselves  to  all  that  they  could 
find. 

Then  out  they  walked  again. 

Not  one  said  anything  about  paying  for  the 
honey  either. 

But  they  did  pay  for  it,  too. 

For  they  carried  the  flower  dust  from  flower 
to  flower. 

The   yellow  flower   dust   helps   the  seeds  to 
grow. 

Wise  little  apple  blossoms  ! 

Now  I  know  why  you  smell  so  sweet. 

Now  I  know  why  you  are  so  beautiful. 

It  is  not  for  me. 

It  is  for  the  bees. 

And  it  is  not  for  the  bees  either. 

It  is  for  your  seed  babies. 

But  I  love  you  just  the  same. 


THE   APPLE   BLOSSOM  233 

And  is  this  the  Apple  Blossom  ? 

It  certainly  is. 

But   where    are   her   five  pretty 
pink  and  white  handkerchiefs? 

You  must  look  for  them  on  the 
ground  now. 

The  Apple  Blossom  called  the  bees  with  them. 

The  bees  came. 

They  carried  her  flower  dust  around  for  her. 

Now  she  wants   to  give   everything   to   her 
little  seed  babies. 

So  she  drops  the  five  little  handkerchiefs  to 
the  ground. 

All  the  juice  goes  to  the  babies  and  the  babies' 
home. 

#         *         %         *         #         *         * 

And  here  is  the  Apple  Blossom  again. 

See  how  thick  she  has  grown. 

She  is  a  little  green  apple  now. 

All  summer  long  she  will  grow  thicker 
and  thicker. 

But  you  will  have  to  look  sharp  to  see  her. 
For  she  is  the  color  of  the  green  leaves. 

"  A  rose  is  a  rose  when  it  blooms, 
An  apple  is  a  rose  when  it  ripens." 


234 


MAY 


Look  at  the  apples  now. 

How  beautiful  they  are. 

What  boy  could  help  eating  them  ? 

But  this  will  end  all  the  poor  Apple  Blos- 
som's work. 

No,  indeed. 

It  is  just  what  she  wants  us  to  do. 

For  then  she  can  be  sure  that  her  seed  babies 
will  be  planted  somewhere. 

Look  at  the  cut  apples. 

Do  you  see  a  green  line  ? 

Most  of  the  apple  is  between  it  and  the 
skin. 

This  was  once  the  little  green  flower  cup 
inside. 

And  in  the  eye  were  once  the  five  little  hand- 
kerchiefs. 

This  is  where  the  little  moth  lays  her  egg. 

She  does  this  when  the  apple  is  very  small. 


TWO   COMMON   WEEDS 

The   egg   hatches   into    a   little 


285 


caterpillar. 

This  caterpillar  gets  fatter  and  fatter  as  the 
apple  grows  larger. 

Then  at  last  it  eats  its  way  out  of  the  apple. 


TWO  COMMON  WEEDS 

Shepherd's  Purse         precious 
Sheep's  Sorrel       buck- 
wheat      cousin 

"You  may  not  know  our 
names. 

"  But  you  must  have  seen  us 
many  times. 

"  For  both  of  us  grow  even 
along  city  streets." 

"  My  name  is  Shepherd's 
Purse/'  says  one. 


236 


MAY 


"And  a  very  good  name  it  is. 
"  Open  my  purses. 

"  You  will  find  something  more  precious  than 
gold. 

"  They  are  my  little  seed  babies. 

"  Some    day    they    too    will    grow    into 
beautiful  plants  with  white  flowers." 
Then  the  other  little  plant  spoke  out. 
"  I  am  sure  I  do  not  know  why  I  am 
called  Sheep's  Sorrel. 

"  But  that  is  my  name. 

"I    am   not   very   much   use  in  the 
world. 

"  Still  many  people  like  to  look  at  me. 
"  Perhaps  you  did  not  know  it. 

"But   it   is   my   tiny   flowers    and 
fruit  that  make  the  meadows  so  red. 

"  My  relatives  are  useful. 
"  Without  my  near  cousin  you  would  not 
have  had  buckwheat  cakes  this  winter. 
"  So  love  me  for  my  cousin's  sake. 
"  And  love  me  for  myself  too." 


THE  DOGWOOD 


237 


" '  The  Dogwood  pitches  his  broad  white  tent 
on  the  edge  of  the  woods.' ' 


238 


MAY 


JACK-IN-THE-PULPIT 

Jack-in-the-Pulpit       preaches       surplice 
sermon       text       expound       discuss 

Jack-in-the-Pulpit 
Preaches  to-day, 

Under  the  green  trees 
Just  over  the  way. 

Green  is  his  surplice, 
Green  are  his  bands; 
In  his  queer  little  pulpit 
The  little  priest  stands. 

So  much  for  the  preacher  — 
The  sermon  comes  next. 

Shall  we  tell  how  he  preached  it, 
And  where  was  his  text  ? 

We  heard  not  the  preacher 

Expound  or  discuss ; 
But  we  looked  at  the  people 

And  they  looked  at  us. 

We  heard  the  wind  organ, 
The  bee  and  the  bird  — 

But  of  Jack-in-the-Pulpit 
We  heard  not  a  word. 

Adapted  from  Whittier's  Child  Life.  —  CLARA  SMITH. 


BUTTERCUP 


239 


Buttercups'  faces 

Beaming  and  bright, 

Glovers  with  bonnets, 

Some  red  and  some  white." 


240  MAY 


THE   LILAC 

lavender       daintiest       tinted       syrup 
caramel 

The  sun  shone  warm,  and  the  lilac  said, 
"  I  must  hurry  and  get  my  table  spread, 
For  if  I  am  slow,  and  dinner  late, 
My  friends,  the  bees,  will  have  to  wait." 

So  delicate  lavender  glass  she  brought 
And  the  daintiest  china  ever  bought, 
Purple  tinted,  and  all  complete ; 
And  she  filled  each  cup  with  honey  sweet. 

"  Dinner  is  ready  !  "  the  spring  wind  cried ; 
And  from  hive  and  hiding  far  and  wide, 
While  the  lilac  laughed  to  see  them  come, 
The  little  gray-jacketed  bees  came  hum-m  I 

They  sipped  the  syrup  from  every  cell, 
They  nibbled  at  taffy  and  caramel ; 
Then,  without  being  asked,  they  all  buzzed,  "  We 
Will  be  very  happy  to  stay  to  tea." 

—  CLARA  DOTY  BATES. 


AMERICA 

MY  country,  'tis  of  thee, 
Sweet  land  of  liberty, 

Of  thee  I  sing ; 
Land  where  my  fathers  died, 
Land  of  the  Pilgrims'  pride, 
From  every  mountain  side 

Let  freedom  ring. 

Our  fathers'  God  to  thee, 
Author  of  Liberty, 

To  thee  we  sing. 
Long  may  our  land  be  bright 
With  freedom's  holy  light ; 
Protect  us  by  thy  might, 

Great  God,  our  King. 


241 


242  MAY 


DECORATION   DAY 

bouquet       trimmed       cemetery       buried 
Civil  War 

What  a  joy  it  is  to  watch  the  coming  of 
spring. 

A  faint  green  color  creeps  over  the  brown 
fields. 

The  buds  on  the  trees  begin  to  swell. 

One  morning  there  are  tender  green  leaves. 

In  May  the  flowers  come. 

One  day  in  May  the  teacher  says :  — 

"Children,  bring  some  flowers  for  Decoration 
Day." 

Next  morning  in  walks  a  huge  bouquet. 

The  teacher  sees  a  pair  of  little  feet  below  it- 
She  hears  a  voice  say :  — 

"  If  you  please,  this  is  for  Decoration  Day." 

In  the  streets  everybody  is  carrying  flowers. 

The  houses  are  trimmed  with  flags. 

Bands  of  music  are  playing. 

Soldiers  are  marching. 

Where  is  everybody  going  ? 

They  are  going  to  the  cemetery. 


DECORATION  DAY  243 

Flags  flutter  over  many  graves. 

There  brave  soldiers  lie  buried. 

And  there  the  people  will  scatter  the  flowers. 

These  are  the  soldiers  who  died  in  our  civil 
war. 

They  are  "  boys  in  blue." 

And  they  are  the  "  boys  in  gray." 

Every  year  we  give  one  day  to  thinking  of 
them. 

And  this  day  is  Decoration  Day. 


JUNE 

"  June  !  dear  June  ! 
Now  God  be  praised  for  June." 

—  LOWELL. 


THE   JUMPERS 
flea       polite       graceful 

The  Flea,  the  Grasshopper,  and  the  Frog 
wanted  to  see  who  could  jump  the  highest. 

The  Whale  came  to  see  them  jump. 

"  I  will  give  my  daughter  to  the  best  jumper," 
said  the  king. 

The  Flea  came  first. 

He  bowed  politely  to  everybody. 

247 


248  JUNE 

But  then,  you  see,  lie  has  always  lived  with 
people. 

No  wonder  he  was  polite  and  knew  what  to  do. 

Next  came  the  Grasshopper. 

He  was  not  so  graceful  as  the  Flea. 

But  he  wore  beautiful  green  clothes. 

He  said  that  he  could  sing  very  well. 

Both  the  Flea  and  the  Grasshopper  talked 
much  about  themselves. 

The  Frog  said  nothing. 

The  Flea  jumped  very  high. 

No  one  could  see  what  had  become  of  him. 

The  Grasshopper  only  jumped  half  as  high. 

He  jumped  in  the  king's  face. 

The  king  thought  him  very  rude. 

The  Frog  stood  for  a  long  time  thinking. 

"I  am  afraid  he  is  ill,"  said  the  dog. 

But  suddenly  he  made  a  jump  into  the  lap 
of  the  princess. 

"  There  is  nothing  higher  than  my  daughter," 
said  the  king. 

"  The  Frog  has  made  the  highest  jump  that 
can  be  made. 

"He  has  shown  that  he  has  sense." 

And  so  he  won  the  princess. 

—  Adapted  from  ANDERSEN, 


THE  DONKEY  AND  THE  GRASSHOPPER    249 


THE  DONKEY  AND   THE  GRASSHOPPER 
donkey       chirp 

A  Donkey  heard  the  grasshoppers  chirp  one 
day. 

He  was  much  pleased  with  the  sound. 

He  wished  that  he  could  make  such  sweet 
music. 

"  What  sort  of  food  do  you  eat  ?  "  he  said  to 
the  grasshoppers. 

"  Your  voices  are  so  very  charming." 

The  grasshoppers  replied  :  — 

"  We  live  upon  dew." 

Of  course  this  was  not  true. 

But  the  Donkey  decided  that  he,  too,  would 
live  on  dew. 

And  in  a  short  time  he  died  from  hunger ! 

—  Adapted  from  ^SOP. 


250 


JUNE 


THE   BLUEBELL 
valley      mountains      enjoyed      remembered 

This  is  the  bluebell. 
Have  you  ever  seen  it 
growing  ? 

It     chooses 
bits    of    rock 
for  a  home. 
Listen,  and  I  will 
tell  you  its  story :  — 
Once    upon    a    time 
there     lived     a     little 
white  flower. 

It  grew  in   a   deep 
valley. 

On  every  side  were  the 
mountains. 

And  on  the  mountains  grew 
the  trees. 

This  made  the  valley  very  dark, 
But  there  was  a  little  strip  of  blue  sky. 
It  was  just  above  the  flower's  head. 
Every  day  it  would  look  up. 


THE   BLUEBELL  .    251 

It  would  say  to  itself :  — 

"  What  a  beautiful  blue  sky  !  " 

But  at  night  it  loved  the  sky  even  more. 

For  a  bright  star  came  and  smiled  at  the 
flower. 

All  day  long  the  flower  enjoyed  the  blue 
sky. 

All  day  long  she  thought  of  the  bright  star. 

Then,  when  night  came,  she  remembered  the 
blue  sky. 

And  she  was  happy  in  the  light  of  the  star. 

Then  a  strange  thing  happened. 

The  little  flower  turned  blue  as  the  sky. 

And  one  morning  it  found  in  its  blue  cup  a 
drop  of  dew. 

And  the  dewdrop  shone  like  the  star ! 

Little  children,  too,  grow  to  be  like  what  they 
love. 

"  Pray,  where  have  the  charming  bluebells  gone, 
That  lately  bloomed  in  the  wood  ? 

Why,  the  little  fairies  have  each  taken  one, 
And  put  it  on  for  a  hood." 

—  Little  Flower  Folks. 


252 


JUNE 


FOR  FLAG  DAY 

spangled       lawysr       British       Baltimore 
rockets       famous 


"  'Tis  the  star  spangled  banner ! 

Oh,  long  may  it  wave 
While  the  land  of  the  free 
Is  the  home  of  the  brave  !  " 


Everybody  knows  this  beautiful  song. 

And  everybody  should  know  the  story  of  the 
man  who  wrote  it. 

Francis  Scott  Key  was  a  young  American 
lawyer.  He  wanted  to  visit  a  friend. 

This  friend  was  a  prisoner  on  board  a  British 
vessel. 

Key  went  to  the  ship  carrying  a  white  flag. 


FOR  FLAG  DAY  253 

A  white  flag  means  :  "  I  am  not  coming  here 
to  fight  you.  I  only  want  to  say  something  to 
you." 

But  the  captain  of  the  ship  took  Key  with 
him  to  Baltimore. 

Then  Key  watched  the  battle  from  the  ship. 
He  was  afraid  that  the  little  fort  would  give  up. 

Every  night  the  British  fired  off  rockets. 

In  their  light  Key  could  see  the  American 
flag  still  on  the  fort. 

At  last  the  British  ships  were  tired  of  firing. 

Now  it  was  all  dark  again. 

Key  could  not  tell  whether  our  flag  was  still 
flying. 

He  kept  thinking,  as  he  says  in  his  song :  — 

"  Oh,  say,  does  the  star  spangled  banner  still 

wave 
O'er  the  land  of  the  free  and  the  home  of  the 

brave?" 

At  last  daylight  came.  Key  looked  eagerly 
to  the  fort.  A  flag  was  flying  from  the  top.  It 
was  our  own  stars  and  stripes. 

He  took  from  his  pocket  an  old  letter.  On 
its  back  he  wrote  the  famous  song. 

y  .  L<^  M 
/  OF  THE  A 

i    iiKiiwFW.SlTY 


Nature    Study  in  Elementary   Schools 

A  MANUAL  FOR  TEACHERS 
By  LUCY  LANGDON  WILLIAMS  WILSON,  Ph.D. 

Philadelphia  Normal  School 

i2mo.        Cloth.        Price  90  cents. 


This  course  of  Nature  Study  may  be  pursued  with  profit  to  teacher 
and  pupil  in  any  one  of  the  first  four  years  of  school  life,  and  in  any 
school  however  poorly  equipped. 

It  is  planned  chiefly  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  ordinary  grade  teacher 
in  the  public  schools  and  does  not  presuppose  special  training  on  her 
part  nor  special  facilities  for  the  collection  of  material.  It  does,  how- 
ever, take  for  granted  a  strong  desire  on  the  teacher's  part  to  do  this 
work,  a  lively  belief  in  its  efficacy,  and  an  earnest  effort  to  become 
better  acquainted  with  the  familiar,  yet  to  most  of  us  unknown  face  of 
nature. 


Prof.  W.  L.  Poteat,  Wake  Forest  College,  North  Carolina. 

"  Mrs.  Wilson's  '  Nature  Study'  impresses  me  as  a  very  timely  and  a 
very  sensible  book.  Any  live  teacher  must  be  grateful  for  its  suggestive 
helpfulness.  I  shall  take  pleasure  in  recommending  it  for  the  course  of 
reading  prepared  for  the  public  school  teachers  of  this  State." 

Dr.  R.  K.  Buehrle,  Superintendent,  Lancaster,  Pa. 

"  Mrs.  Wilson's  little  manual  affords  excellent  assistance  to  those  who 
mean  to  equip  themselves  for  the  best  kind  of  work.  It  is  a  good  book 
for  every  teacher  to  have  and  to  study  when  preparing  to  give  lessons 
in  Nature  Study." 

Charlotte  E.  Reeve,  State  Normal  School,  New  Paltz,  N.  Y. 

"  I  am  exceedingly  well  pleased  with  the  book.  The  subject  of 
Nature  Study  is  so  comprehensive  that  I  think  most  teachers  feel  dis- 
couraged at  the  thought  of  it.  The  Wilson  manual  presents  such 
carefully  selected  subject-matter  that  the  teaching  of  it  becomes  a 
delight  rather  than  an  added  burden.  I  shall  endeavor  to  make  our 
pupil  teachers  feel  that  it  is  one  of  the  books  they  must  own." 


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FIRST  NATURE  READER 

i6mo.        Cloth.        35  cents 


The  original  matter  in  this  series  of  Readers  has  toeen 
written,  and  the  selections  chosen,  with  the  desire  of  putting 
into  the  hands  of  little  children,  literature  which  shall  have 
for  their  minds  the  same  interest  and  value  that  leally  good 
books  and  magazines  have  for  grown-up  people.  It  is  the 
author's  aim  to  prepare  the  ground  and  even  thus  early  to 
plant  the  seeds  of  that  which  may  develop  into  a  love  for 
art,  for  literature,  and  for  nature. 


COMMENTS   ON    FIRST    READER 

George  Howells,  Superintendent  of  Schools,  Scranton^  Pa. 

"  Since  receiving  '  First  Nature  Reader '  by  Mrs,  Wilson  I  have  read 
every  line  in  the  book,  and  I  wish  to  say  that  I  have  seen  nothing  in 
the  line  of  Nature  Study  as  good  as  this  little  volume." 

Addison  Jones,  Principal  of  Public  School,  Westchester,  Pa. 

"  We  are  using  in  our  primary  schools  '  Nature  Study  in  Elementary 
Schools'  and  the  reader  by  the  same  author.  These  books  aid  us  in 
doing  excellent  work  in  the  line  of  elementary  science." 


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SECOND  NATURE  READER 

i6mo.        Cloth.        35  cents 


NATURE  MYTHS,   STORIES  AND  POEMS 

For  elementary  teachers  who  wish  to  give  a  course  of  nature  study 
based  on  the  phenomena  of  the  changing  seasons.  It  is  suitable  for 
use  with  children  in  their  second  and  third  year  of  school  work.  The 
sentences  are  short,  the  language  simple;  yet  the  aim  in  choosing  the 
selections  and  writing  the  part  which  is  original  has  been  to  give 
the  children  reading  which  shall  have  for  them  the  same  value  and 
interest  as  good  literature  has  for  older  minds.  The  author  seeks  to 
prepare  the  ground  and  even  thus  early  o  plant  the  seeds  which  may 
develop  into  a  taste  for  good  art  or  literature.  The  book  is  excellently 
illustrated  from  nature  and  the  masterpieces  of  art,  and  the  selections 
are  by  the  best  writers,  whose  books  are  within  the  children's  com- 
prehension, Shakespeare,  Keats,  Emerson,  Longfellow,  Whittier,  Jean 
Ingelow,  Robert  Louis  Stevenson,  and  many  others. 


COMMENTS    ON    NATURE    SERIES 

Julia  Richman,  Principal  Public  School,  77  New  York  City. 

"  We  have  used  Mrs.  Wilson's  '  Nature  Study  in  Elementary  Schools' 
since  June,  and  my  teachers  are  unanimous  in  their  verdict  that  it  is 
the  best  guide  to  their  Nature  work  that  has  come  to  our  notice.  It  is 
hard  to  select  a  special  merit  in  a  work  so  full  of  good  things,  but  its 
suggestion  and  its  correlated  language  work  have  been  of  the  greatest 
value.  No  teacher  should  be  without  a  copy." 

Charlotte  E.  Reeve,  State  Normal  School,  New  Paltz,  N.  Y. 

"  I  am  exceedingly  well  pleased  with  the  book.  The  subject  of 
Nature  Study  is  so  comprehensive  that  I  think  most  teachers  feel  dis- 
couraged by  the  thought  of  it.  The  Wilson  manual  presents  such 
carefully  selected  subject-matter  that  the  teaching  of  it  becomes  a 
delight  rather  than  an  added  burden.  I  shall  endeavor  to  make  our 
pupil  teachers  feel  that  it  is  one  of  the  books  that  they  must  own." 

A.  J.  Davis,  Principal  State  Normal  School,  Clarion,  Pa. 

"  I  am  very  much  pleased  with  the  plan  of  '  Nature  Study,'  and  shall 
gladly  bring  it  to  the  attention  of  our  science  teacher  and  of  the 
superintendent  of  the  Model  School." 


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Handbook  of  Nature  Study 

FOR    TEACHERS    AND    PUPILS    IN    ELEMENTARY    SCHOOLS 

By  D.  LANGE, 

Instructor  in  Nature  Study  in  the  Public  Schools  of  St.  Paul,  Minn. 


i2mo.        Cloth.        $1.00 


The  purpose  of  the  book  is  to  furnish  to  teachers  material  sugges- 
tions with  which  to  make  their  pupils  acquainted  with  the  plant  and 
animal  life  around  them.  The  subject-matter  is  arranged  according  to 
seasons  and  life  communities,  and  the  author,  a  teacher  of  wide  ex- 
perience, has  taken  special  pains  to  show  some  of  the  relations  existing 
between  the  vegetable  and  animal  kingdoms,  animate  and  inanimate 
nature,  and  between  man  and  nature.  Brief  directions  are  given  con- 
cerning  field  lessons.  Sixty  illustrations  are  included  in  the  text. 


COMMENTS 
Education 

"  He  has  made  a  delightful  book  which  one  takes  up  with  pleasure 
and  lays  down  with  regret." 

Northwest  Journal  of  Education 

"  The  intelligent  teacher  with  this  manual  at  hand  cannot  fail  to  do 
Nature  Study  work  that  will  rouse  keenest  interest  in  pupils.  The 
arrangement,  the  illustrations,  and  the  language  are  all  worthy  of  much 
commendation." 

Wisconsin  Journal  of  Education 

"  The  style  of  the  book  is  fresh  and  inspiring ;  its  descriptions  clear 
and  full ;  and  its  illustrations  numerous." 


Our   Native   Birds 

HOW  TO  PROTECT  THEM  AND  ATTRACT  THEM  TO  OUR  HOMES 

By  D.  LANGE 
i2mo.        Cloth.        Illustrated.        Price  $1.00 


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